Many survivors of the 2015 earthquake in Ramechhap, who were included in the housing reconstruction aid list, have left the construction of their houses incomplete even after receiving the first, second and third installments of their aid.

According to the District Project Implementation Unit under the National Reconstruction Authority, a large number of beneficiaries have not started the construction of their houses, and there are some who have left the construction of their houses incomplete after receiving second and third installment of the housing reconstruction aid.

The data of the District Project Implementation Unit showed that 1,356 families in Ramechhap, who are included in the housing reconstruction aid list, are yet to sign an agreement with the National Reconstruction Authority for the housing grant.

Ganesh Aryal, chief at the District Project Implementation Unit, said, “Over 2,000 families who have received Rs 50,000 as the first tranche of the aid and have signed the housing aid agreement with the authority have not started the construction of their houses.” According to him, 2,891 beneficiaries have left the construction of their houses incomplete in Ramechhap.

According to the District Project Implementation Unit, around 49,000 households in the district have been enlisted in the beneficiary list. But the latest national census conducted in 2011 states that the district has only about 43,000 households. Out of the total houses in Ramechhap, about 40 percent were destroyed by the earthquake of April 25, 2015 and its powerful aftershocks.

A few months ago, the District Project Implementation Unit had surveyed two municipalities and six rural municipalities to know the status of reconstruction works in the district.

“We had surveyed the quake-hit areas a while back. We have collected the data and we will soon start work by formulating a work plan. The beneficiaries will be provided with a deadline and if they fail to complete the construction work within the given time frame, they will be penalised.”

Kishor Bikram Shahi, the focal engineer at the District Project Implementation Unit, said, “A large number of beneficiaries who left the construction of their houses incomplete are from Manthali Municipality. The construction work of 687 houses has been left incomplete here. Likewise, the construction of 626 houses has been left incomplete in Umakunda and 109 houses in Doramba Rural Municipality.”

According to Shahi, 307 families in Manthali who signed the housing reconstruction aid agreement with the National Reconstruction Authority have not started the reconstruction of their houses.

The government distributes the second tranche (Rs 150,000) of housing aid to those who have completed the foundation of their new houses after receiving the first tranche (Rs 50,000). The identified beneficiaries are entitled to Rs 300,000 as housing aid. The last instalment of Rs 100,000 will be distributed later, according to the National Reconstruction Authority.