‘Not one complaint’: Tharoor praises govt’s Nepal flood rescue efforts in letter to EAM

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Saturday wrote a letter to external affairs minister S Jaishankar, “appreciating" the government’s rescue efforts regarding missing Indians in the Nepal floods while also giving suggestions.

Several Indians are still missing in the aftermath of the Nepal flash floods. The MEA’s own tally puts them at 287. In his letter, Tharoor asked the Narendra Modi government for a full NDRF contingent and heavy-lift helicopters for rescue operations. He urged the government to pull out all stops to rescue the stranded or those who may still be alive beneath the debris.

"Every hour that passes narrows the ground on which hope can still stand," the MP from Thiruvananthapuram said in his letter.

"I am writing to you regarding the Indian nationals who remain missing following the flash floods that struck Nepal on 26 August. India's response has been swift and substantial. The Prime Minister's early outreach to Kathmandu, the four tranches of relief material, the eleven-member team of doctors, paramedics and tunnel rescue experts, and the control room and Embassy helplines have all made a difference," Tharoor said.

An ice-rock avalanche following a glacial collapse near the Nepal-Tibet border on Wednesday sent a torrent of water, mud and debris downstream, wiping out towns and villages, damaging crucial infrastructure and washing away hydropower stations through central Nepal.

The death toll from flash floods in central Nepal rose to 669 on Saturday, with more bodies being recovered, even as more than 2,000 people are still missing. Bodies were recovered from all eight affected districts as search and rescue operations continue on a war footing.

In his letter, Shashi Tharoor noted that India's Ambassador to Nepal, Naveen Srivastava, and his team have worked around the clock.

"The return of the group from Tibet, whom you personally received at the airport, gave many families their first moment of hope in three days. The rescue of the Indian workers at Trishuli- 1 was a genuine triumph," the Thiruvananthapuram MP said.

"Families have noticed all of this. Several have asked me to convey their gratitude to you personally, and I am glad to do so. It is precisely because of this that I feel compelled to urge that our efforts now be matched to the scale and urgency of what has happened," he said.

According to the ministry's briefing, 320 Indian nationals remain uncontactable, including many of Indian origin, Tharoor pointed out. The latest figure from the MEA is 287.

"Hundreds more remain stranded on the Chinese side. Many were pilgrims on their way to Kailash Mansarovar, a journey some had waited their whole lives to undertake.