Laws should be formulated keeping disaster at centre: Law Minister Gautam

Kathmandu, Oct 6: Minister for Law, Justice, and Parliamentary Affairs, Sobita Gautam, has said that laws need to be made focusing on disaster incidents.     

Speaking at today's meeting of the Parliamentary Special Committee on Climate Change Impact, Climate Justice, and Bhotekoshi-Trishuli Disasters under the House of Representatives, she said that even though disaster events are increasing, past warnings have not been taken seriously.     

"There were consistent warnings about disasters in the past 10–12 years; how much did we listen, and how much did we not? Looking at the history—the massive Jure landslide, the landslide in Melamchi, the Thamey floods to the huge flooding by the Roshi River—there have been major disasters time and again in the river corridors and highway areas. The floods in Bhotekoshi and Rasuwa have shaken everyone."     

Minister Gautam emphasized that disasters should be at the centre not just when making laws but in every action of the state.     

She shared that the Ministry of Law has been continuously discussing with the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA) about the legal procedures regarding the declaration of death and death registration for people missing after the Bhotekoshi disaster.     

Mentioning that the provisions related to the declaration of death are present in the Civil Code and the Registration Act among other laws, the Law Minister said it is also worth considering whether it would have been appropriate to amend the law in the face of the disaster.