The residents of 13 VDCs in Dhading, who could be displaced by the proposed Budhigandaki Hydropower Project, are going to receive Rs 200,000 each for rebuilding homes.

Executive Committee Member of National Reconstruction Authority (NRA) Chandra Bahadur Shrestha said the NRA has prepared a separate working procedure to distribute money to the families who could be affected by the proposed project.

According to the working procedure, the families will have a choice of 31 districts to where they can build their homes.

“They have to build earthquake-resistant houses if they decide to construct houses out of their VDCs. The NRA has prepared a design of temporary shelter and they have to construct shelters according to the design in their VDCs,” said Shrestha.

 The NRA will distribute Rs 200, 000 to the affected families in three instalments. “However, they will not be permitted to build permanent houses in the affected areas of proposed hydropower project,” said the regional chief of the NRA in Gorkha, Ramkaji Shrestha, adding that the project has been working to compensate the affected families.

 Nearly 1,880 households from 13 VDCs are expected to be displaced by the proposed hydropower project. Many among them had lost their homes in the 2015 April earthquake. Local Development Officer Bhagwan Aryal said they will distribute money to the affected families after they receive the working procedure. Villagers have been demanding the NRA to provide them housing reconstruction aid without setting any preconditions for the past few months.