Almost after a year of the devastating earthquake, the government has finally begun distributing reconstruction aid to quake survivors from Dolakha district, marking the symbolic start of reconstruction in true sense, as those whose houses were destroyed in the disaster received cash for the first time from the government.

As many as 641 individuals received Rs 50,000 each as the first installment of the reconstruction aid through the Singati Resource Centre in Dolakha on Monday.

According to Hari Prasad Sharma, acting chief of NRA’s sub-regional office in Charikot, distribution of the government-announced housing reconstruction aid to 641 people from Laduk and Lamidanda started on Monday.  

The first installment is part of the Rs 200,000 promised by the government to rebuild the damaged houses. The earthquake survivors received the cash from Rastriya Banijya Bank and Nepal Investment Bank on Monday nearly a month after they had signed a reconstruction aid agreement with the National Reconstruction Authority.

The rebuilding authorities have allocated Rs 265 million to Dolakha in the first phase for the reconstruction aid.

According to the NRA, quake survivors can directly receive the aid amount from banks by producing housing reconstruction agreements that they had signed with the NRA. It said that the banks issue cash based on the fresh re-verification data collected by the Central Bureau of Statistics. The distribution of the reconstruction aid has been delayed due to procedural confusions and non-cooperation on the part of VDC secretaries. Various VDCs even did not have secretaries.

VDC secretaries in several districts had refused to take responsibilities of other VDCs that did not have secretaries. They were demanding additional allowance to carry out post-earthquake recovery and rehabilitation works. The agitating VDC secretaries, however, resumed work following an agreement with the authorities concerned to address their demands.

The government on January 16 announced the formal beginning of reconstruction of tens of thousands of homes and structures that were damaged by the April 25 earthquake, which killed nearly 9,000 people.