The National Reconstruction Authority (NRA) has started to sign the housing reconstruction aid agreement with the earthquake-affected families of Bhumlutar and Phalante VDCs in Kavre district. 

Though their names were included on the housing reconstruction aid list published nine months ago, 966 families in Bhumlutar and Phalante were later identified as ineligible candidates for the aid, since they did not have land titles to prove that their homes were hit by the earthquake of April 25, 2015.

These families had been living without land titles for the past 40 years because of a land survey dispute which was never resolved, said Durba Gauda, a district representative of the NRA. 

They were finally able to sign the aid agreement based on documents of proof provided by the District Land Revenue Office, he added.

Local Development Officer Tekraj Niraula said they will soon start distributing the first instalment of the housing aid. 

According to Dhokalraj Dhakal, administrative officer at the District Development Committee, 4,724 families in the district are still unable to receive the housing aid  as they do not have land ownership papers. 

VDC office padlocked

Earthquake survivors from Satbise settlement in Sundaradevi VDC-2, Nuwakot, have padlocked the VDC office after they were not included on the housing reconstruction aid list following a reassessment. VDC Secretary Prakash Chandra Paudel said 83 people had registered complaints at the NRA district office demanding aid.  The NRA, after reassessment, had include only 21 families on the aid list. According to the VDC office, only 515 families have received the first tranche of housing reconstruction aid so far. 

Survey team reaches quake-hit Chepang settlements  

A team of 52 engineers have been mobilised to collect the electronic data of the earthquake victims and the state of their houses in remote Chitwan villages. The team is currently collecting data at Chepang settlements in Kaule VDC . Nearly 50 percent of the Chepang households in the VDC have been affected by the earthquake and are in need of assistance, said one of the team members. Balaram Luitel, information officer at the District Development Committee, said that the data collection work was expected to conclude by mid-March.