Nepal quake: Gujarat to send relief material to Nepal

AHMEDABAD: The Gujarat government today announced to send relief material including food packets and a team comprising structural engineers to earthquake-hit Nepal.

"The Gujarat government has today conducted a review meeting headed by Chief Minister Anandiben Patel to know about the situation in earth-quake affected Nepal and decided to send 25,000 food packets to Nepal in coordination with Central government's National Disaster Management Authority," an official statement said.

The CM said that the state government's team of experts comprising structural engineers, who had experience of dealing with the 2001 earth-quake in Gujarat, is all set to go to Nepal to access the situation in the Himalayan Nation, it added.

The state government is also likely to send a team to provide medical aide to the neighbouring country.

Chief Minister has directed the relief commissioner DN Pandey and CEO in Gujarat State Disaster Management Authority Anju Sharma to start the process to send the food packets, while coordinating with the Resident Commissioner's officer in Delhi, it said.

At present, six teams of Fire and Emergency Response of Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation are ready to join the relief and rescue operations in Nepal after Centre's nod, it said.

The high-level review meeting was attended by Chief Secretary D N Pandian, Chief Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister K Kailashnathan, Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister S Aparna and Secretary Ajay Bhadu.

Over 2,400 people have been killed in a devastating temblor yesterday in Nepal, the worst earthquake in over 80 years in the Himalayan nation.