NATION 17
10 - 16 JANUARY 2014 #689
LOST AND NEVER FOUND: (clockwise from far left): The Kedarnath Temple in the foreground after the floods; a pilgrim pleads with a soldier to be airlifted out of the danger zone; Suresh Chaudhary’s mother, Surat Khadka’s parents, and Balram Dhungana’s parents still hold on to the hope of seeing their sons again.
was keen to see him marry and settle down. Seven months have passed since the tragic event, yet there is no trace of their son. The Khadkas called friends and relatives in Uttarakhand to find out if anyone had seen him, but to no avail. Surat’s father has taken refuge in alcohol to cope with the loss. Besides the embassy’s report, there has been no serious attempt by the Nepali government to find out the whereabouts and status of its citizens. Even the few private search operations remain stuck in bureaucratic red tape.
“Indian officials first told us to bring referral letters from the Nepali government. Once we got the necessary documents, we went to Banbasa in Uttarakhand. From there we were sent to district headquarters in Champawat. The administrators there suggested we meet Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna in Rudraprayag district,” recounts Gopal Gurung, who led a search party to find missing Nepalis. “After a long wait, we finally managed to talk to the CM and he helped us gain access into the flood-hit areas.” Since the team couldn’t
find anything substantial, they went to see Bahuguna again, but weren’t as lucky the second time around. As the two governments continue to conveniently push campaigners like Gurung into a bureaucratic maze, hundreds of families in this far-western Tarai district live with the anguish of not knowing whether their loved ones are dead or alive. nepalitimes.com Manmade disasters, #662 No need to panic, #662 Fatalism and disasters, #664