Former King distributes relief items to flood victims

DARCHULA: Despite hue and cry about the visit of former King Gyanendra Shah to Western Region to distribute relief to flood victims of Far Western Region, the former king Shah distributed relief aid to victims of recent flooding in Darchula district headquarters on Wednesday.

Shah, who was accompanied by his daughter-in-law Himani, donated food grains, cloths and utensils to the flood victims. The Himani Trust has provided aid to some 300 families, five local schools and over 1000 school children. The Himali Trust has collected assistance to flood victims of Far Western Region.

A crowd of well-wishers and pro-monarchists greeted the former royals as they landed in Darchula by a helicopter. Three truckloads of relief materials had been dispatched to the area a couple of days earlier. The former royals had arrived in Dhangadhi Monday.

Former Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai said the visit is intended to foil the November elections and warned that the former monarch would face dire consequence if he continued to be active in the name of social service. The leader of major political parties have been suspecting the activities of former King Gynendra as they have been fearing from their indecisiveness and their failure to bring peace and stability in the country.

The decision of the Election Commission to bar distribution of relief items by different organizations after the enforcement of code of conduct has received flak from different organizations. They stated that the EC should not bar for humanitarian service.