India steps up relief measures

Evacuation efforts have been extended to the road route in addition to the air route

With India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecasting rain and thunderstorm in Nepal and low-lying parts in nearby Indian areas, the Indian government pushed through with more determined rescue efforts.

On Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated his Mann ki Baat to the effects of the earthquake. Modi said, his voice throbbing with emotion, that he knew intimately the impact the natural calamity had on the lives of ordinary people from his experience of the Bhuj earthquake. He detailed all that India was doing for the people of India and Nepal. His speech was telecast virtually in full by most television channels of Nepal and several ministers publicly thanked India and acknowledged its contribution.

The Met department explained that after a second earthquake and continuing aftershocks - 6.7 magnitude around 12.39 pm (Indian standard time) at a depth of 10 km with its epicentral region located in Nepal about 65 km east of Kathmandu - widespread rain/thundershower activity over Nepal should be expected during the next 24 hours. The activity is most likely to become widespread on April 27 and 28. The IMD has counselled caution because landslides are inevitable. With the temperature in Kathmandu and other areas hovering below 20 degrees centigrade, and most people camped outdoors, everything - living conditions, fresh water, sanitation and the outbreak of disease - will become precarious.

India, meanwhile, soldiered on with relief measures with Modi monitoring efforts virtually round the clock. On Sunday, Prime Minister's Office officials along with home minister Rajnath Singh, finance minister Arun Jaitley, defence minister Manohar Parrikar and foreign minister Sushma Swaraj attended meetings with the PM in command. Evacuation efforts were extended to the road route in addition to the air route, especially after the second earthquake on Sunday. Rajnath Singh also spoke to Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav and the Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar, asking them to mobilise buses and ambulances to rescue stranded people. As of now, 10 teams of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) are pressed into action and six more teams will be dispatched. The Bureau of Immigration will give 'gratis visas' to all foreign tourists stranded in Nepal who are coming to India. Four NDRF teams have been deployed, one each in Gopalganj, Motihari, Supaul and Darbhanga districts of Bihar and one in Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh. A total 62 people have lost their lives in India, 259 people are reported to be injured, 56 houses/buildings fully damaged and 248 houses/buildings partially damaged.

The Indian Army, too, stepped up efforts. Operation Maitri was launched and the Chief of Army Staff, Gen Dalbir Singh - who is an officer of the Gurkha Rifles Regiment and is also the Honorary Chief of the Nepalese Army - spoke to General S J B Rana, Chief of the Nepalese Army. Two senior officers are to proceed to Kathmandu and coordinate the Indian Army's relief efforts in synergy and hand-in-hand with Nepalese Army. Eighteen medical teams have been earmarked. Six medical teams have reached and have been deployed, while the rest are on standby. Ten INMARSATs for satellite communications have reached Nepal. Blankets and other relief supplies are to be airlifted.

India has already dispatched a team of 31 medical staff - 13 doctors and 18 paramedics - with two tonnes of essential medicines. On Sunday, 4.5 tonnes of food and 4.5 tonnes of medicines were dispatched. Besides, 40 tonnes of water, 100 stretchers and 35,000 food packets were also dispatched.