Around 14,000 earthquake survivors in Dolakha district have decided to lodge complaints at the National Reconstruction Authority (NRA), saying that they had been left out of the housing reconstruction aid list complied by the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS).

They have demanded that the NRA include them on the aid list. The NRA has made public the names of 51,000 quake-affected households who are listed for the aid.

Quake victims in 48 VDCs and two municipalities have filled out complaint forms with the help of local political parties. Local Development Officer Bishnu Prasad Sharma said the forms will be submitted at the NRA’s sub-regional office. However, the NRA has decided to provide aid only to those who were included on the list. The 2011 CBS survey shows 61,000 households in the district.

Chief at the NRA’s sub-regional office Shivaram Neupane said they would formulate a policy to implement the complaints registered by the victims.

The reconstruction works have come to a halt in six VDCs due to the dispute. Secretary of Sudrawati VDC Tirtha Bhandari said they could not work after the enraged villagers padlocked the VDC office for the past three weeks. “177 households have been left out of the aid list in the VDC,” said Bhandari.

Secretary of Dudhpokhari VDC Lal Bahadur Gurung said they are under pressure from the villagers, who have been left out of the list, to include their names. “They have warned us not to work here,” he said. Officials at the District Development Committee, however, said they were unaware about the obstructions in those VDCs.

In Dhading, 2,200 quake-affected households have been left out on the housing reconstruction aid list. Out of 85,255 households, only 48,782 are included on the list. The NRA office has yet to make public the list of victims in 12 VDCs of the district.

In Kavre, many victims have complained about being left out of the aid list of 63 VDCs and two municipalities published by the NRA.

Meanwhile, around 100 victims have registered complaints at the NRA office in Gorkha district. The NRA has published the aid list of 58,250 households in the district.

In Nuwakot, around 4,000 quake victims have lodged complaints at the authority’s district office after being left out of the final aid list.

(With inputs from our local correspondents)