Balangir family desperate to return from quake zone

BHUBANESWAR: A family of three from Balangir is struggling to return home from earthquake-hit Nepal after spending two sleepless nights in a car at Khumaltar in Lalitpur district there.
"We are desperate to return because my 10-month-old daughter is unwell and it's difficult to ensure proper nutrition for her here," said Bidhu Bhushan Mohapatra, who works as a research officer with the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), an organization involved in research on climate change in the Himalayan nation.
"When the tremors began, my daughter was sleeping. I lifted her up and we ran for safety. It was a very frightening experience. The house we stayed in has been badly damaged. The kitchen has collapsed. We can't stay there for the next several months until massive repairs are completed," Bidhu told TOI over the phone.
"We are staying in a tent outside. The weather is unpredictable with erratic rain and thunder. At night, we sleep in our car. Most families in our localities are staying in tents," he said.
Bidhu said he went to Tribhuvan Airport in Kathmandu on Monday to make their return plan but there is utter chaos. "I was told the Indian government has been evacuating only stranded passengers on a priority basis. Those staying here have to wait for a few more days till normal air and road traffic resumes," he said.
Back home, their family members are a worried lot. "After passing anxious moments fearing the worst on Saturday, I was happy to get a phone call from my son-in-law on Sunday evening that they are allright. On Monday morning, my daughter told me that they would like to come back at the earliest opportunity. I am still concerned for them," said Sarat Chandra Guru, a retired teacher who stays in Sambalpur.
Pragya's mother Anjana said the family had contacted the special relief commissioner office in Odisha to ask him to help them return. Bidhu's father Prafulla Mohapatra (80) said he was telling other family members that there was no reason to worry since the worst is over. "I am sure they will return soon," he said.
Deputy relief commissioner Pravat Ranjan Mohapatra said the state government would take up the matter with the external affairs ministry.
Bidhu, a native of Phatabahal village in Balangir district, moved to Nepal in May last year for his job. His wife Pragya Parimita, a Sambalpur resident, and their daughter Adrika, joined him three months later in August.