Rescue Over, India pledge more Help in Relief Effort

Even as the rescue teams from India will pull out of Nepal along with 33 other nations, the Indian embassy declared that New Delhi’s massive rescue and relief work in Nepal was its biggest response to a natural calamity in a foreign country.

Ambassador Ranjit Rae made the observation during a briefing given to the Kathmandu-based diplomats on India’s ongoing assistance following the quake that has caused widespread destruction.

“Operation Maitri” is the largest ever support operation by India in response to a natural calamity abroad, a statement from the Indian embassy said.

“It represented not only the deepest commitment at the highest political level in India but also overwhelming outpouring of support from the people of India and over a dozen Indian states including those bordering Nepal.”

He said the first Indian Air Force flight landed in Kathmandu with rescue teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and relief material within six hours of the devastating quake.

Thereafter, 32 IAF flights brought in 520 tonnes of relief material containing tents, blankets, medicines, food, water, heavy engineering equipment, ambulances, RO plants, oxygen generators, two full-fledged army field hospitals with 18 medical teams, 18 army engineering teams and 16 NDRF teams.

“These teams have been working round-the-clock since their deployment in close coordination with the government of Nepal,” he said.

Eight MI-17 and five ALH helicopters of the Indian Army, operating from Kathmandu and Pokhara, have carried 207 tonnes of relief material in 449 sorties, evacuated over 900 injured and transported over 1,700 stranded people of various nationalities, the envoy said.

He added that some 4,500 tonnes of relief material containing food, water, medicines, tents, blankets, tarpaulins and plastic sheets from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh had reached Nepal.

Eight fresh tremors were recorded on Monday in Nepal. A senior official said the aftershocks might last for months “and there is no need to worry much”.