In a first sign of its expansion outside the Capital, the National Reconstruction Authority (NRA) established a sub-regional office at Charikot, the district headquarters of Dolakha on Wednesday, nearly 11 months after the Gorkha Earthquake.

The establishment of sub-regional offices, however, had been delayed owing to lack of human resources. “We have established first regional office in Dolakha and the remaining offices will be established soon,” said NRA Spokesperson Ram Thapaliya. The authority has deployed Hari Sharma, a divisional engineer, in Dolakha to head the sub-regional office.

The newly-established office will look after post-earthquake reconstruction works in Ramechhap, Dolakha and Okhaldhunga districts. Besides, the authority has proposed to establish sub-regional offices in Kavre, Gorkha, Nuwakot, Kathmandu and Lalitpur. One more sub-regional office will be formed to oversee 17 districts that have sustained lesser degree of damage in the earthquakes.

Endorsing a two-tier structure—at the central and sub-regional levels—to oversee the overall reconstruction and rehabilitation of quake-destroyed houses, the rebuilding authorities had proposed seven sub-regional offices in the 14 worst affected districts.  

The Dolakha office is first of its kind and six other regional offices are yet to be established. The NRA was supposed to establish the sub-regional offices by mid-January for coordination between the central authority and local bodies while distributing the government announced aid to earthquake victims. The NRA—umbrella body responsible for thepost-earthquake reconstruction—has been criticised for delaying the much-awaited reconstruction of shelters in the quake-hit villages.

Although an agreement was reached on March 13 between the local bodies and two selected banks for distributing aid, starting from Singati Resource Centre in Dolakha district in the

first phase, it has made little progress.

The NRA is working to set up at least a new resource centre by including two Village Development Committees in 10 quake-affected districts by April 10, Thapaliya said.