India to share Gujarat reconstruction experience with Nepal

KATHMANDU: India today pledged full support to the post-quake restoration and reconstruction works in Nepal and said it wants to share its experience gained from the 2001 Gujarat earthquake with the Himalayan nation.

P K Mishra, Additional Principal Secretary to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, discussed post-quake rehabilitation and reconstruction plans with Prime Minister Sushil Koirala and top Nepalese officials.

"The earthquake has provided a great opportunity for Nepal to rebuild the country's infrastructure and to make the lives of the people better," Mishra told media persons at the Tribhuvan International Airport after wrapping up his two-day visit to Nepal.

"What Nepal most urgently needs is providing transitional shelters to hundreds of thousands of people made homeless by to the disaster and India wants to help towards that direction," he said.

"It is very important to construct interim shelters before the monsoon season comes," he said, adding India will provide necessary expertise and help to construct such shelters according to the design provided by the government of Nepal.

Recalling the great earthquake of Gujarat in 2001, where thousands of people were killed, Mishra said that he shared with Nepalese officials the experiences.

He said that India has experience in dealing situations like earthquake and tsunami and wants to share its experience and expertise with Nepal in this hour of disaster.

He pledged India's full support to the post-quake restoration and reconstruction works to be initiated by Nepal government.

"We had rebuilt Gujarat within 4-5 year's period and the same could happen in Nepal," he said.

Mishra was the Chief Executive Officer of the Reconstruction Authority of Gujarat in the aftermath of the quake.

Mishra also met Finance Minister Ram Sharan Mahat during his stay in Kathmandu.

He said he has held discussion on long-term planning for rebuilding Nepal and providing assistance from India in the aftermath of the disaster.

Mishra also visited Charikot in Dolakha district, one of the epicenters and hard hit area by earthquake.

He said that Prime Minister Modi wants to visit Nepal once again and he is concerned about rebuilding Nepal as per his government's policy to accord top priority to neighbouring countries.