Local units of the political parties have been pressing the National Reconstruction Authority (NRA) to stop signing housing reconstruction aid agreements with the earthquake survivors charging that engineers have not included many genuine victims in the recipients’ list.

In the past two months, the NRA has signed aid agreements with about 2,500 families in Dolakha. According to the authority, around 50,000 households are on the list of recipients.

According to the Central Bureau of Statistics, there are around 73,000 families in the district. The officiating chief of the sub-regional office of the NRA, Hari Prasad Sharma, said they were not able to focus on reconstruction in Dolakha as they are engaged in the complaint collection process.

The office said it was signing aid agreements with the quake-displaced people in 41 VDCs of Ramechhap and 25 VDCs of Okhaldhunga districts. Though the NRA started signing aid agreements in the districts late, the work has picked up pace.

The NRA has signed aid agreements with the families in 10 VDCs of Dolakha so far. The sub-regional office has been receiving complaints from the victims in Bhirkot and Lankuridanda VDCs.

Difficulties in accessing grant money

Earthquake survivors of Marpak VDC in Dhading, who have already signed the deal for the first instalment of the housing reconstruction aid with the NRA, have difficulties in receiving the Rs 50,000 cash. The banks and financial institutions are based only in the district headquarters. The Rastriya Banijya Bank has got the responsibility to distribute money to people in the northern VDCs. The NRA had signed housing aid agreements with 599 households in Marpak in mid-April.