The District Administration Office in Bajhang on Tuesday made public the details of the relief distributed to the victims of the October disaster.

The beneficiary list came as a surprise to many journalists who were present at the press conference for it included names of those who were not affected by the disaster and left out those who were in actual need of relief.

Several questions were raised about the integrity of the beneficiary list, especially after some locals expressed their dissatisfaction about the identification of the victims.

Bajhang was battered by floods and landslides from October 17 to 20, which killed 12 people while 19 others went missing, according to the District Police Office in Bajhang. Authorities estimate that properties and infrastructure worth millions have been destroyed across the district by the disaster. The exact figure is yet to be disclosed.

Underscoring the discrepancy in the beneficiary list compiled by the District Administration Office, Harka Bahadur Khati, a resident of Khaptadchhanna Rural Municipality-1, says only seven houses were damaged by the October floods and landslides at Paungadi village but 19 houses have been allowed full grant for damages.

“Why is the relief grant being distributed to those who have not suffered any loss? I'm surprised,” said Khati, who is also the former vice-chairman of Pauwagadhi Village Development Committee.

In Ward No 4 of Khaptadchhanna Rural Municipality, only two houses suffered damages during the disaster but the relief grants were distributed to five families.

The chairman of the rural municipality Barka Bahadur Rokaya has also received the relief grant in the name of his son Karun Kumar Rokaya, claiming that his house was damaged by the landslides. His credibility has now come into question since the chairman's house has not suffered any damages, says Kalak Khatri, a resident of Ward No 4.

“We found out that the chairman also took the relief grant but his house is still standing and has not suffered major damages,” said Khatri. “In fact, he has another house nearby which was untouched by the disaster. Meanwhile, people who are in need of the grant did not feature in the list of beneficiaries.”

Incidents of irregularities in grant distribution have also surfaced in Jaya Prithvi Municipality-1, with 17 families already receiving the first tranche of grant although only five houses were destroyed in the ward.

The disparity in grant distribution from the District Administration Office has left genuine disaster victims in the lurch even after more than a month of the disaster.

“We have been staying in an animal shed since our house was swept away by the October landslides,” said Laxmi Devi Singh, a resident of Jayaprithvi Municipality-1. “When I visited the District Administration Office seeking the relief grant, they turned me away saying I don’t meet the requirements to feature in the beneficiary list. But people whose houses haven’t suffered any damages have made it to the list. It’s disheartening to see how little the authorities care about us.”

Singh claims that people who have connections with the local leaders and government officials have been selected for the grant while real victims have been left out.

Gagan Bahadur Singh, the ward chairperson of Jayaprithvi Municipality-1, admits that there have been discrepancies in selecting beneficiaries for the grant since those who were untouched by the disasters are taking grants issued by the District Disaster Management Committee through the District Administration Office.

“There were only seven to eight families whose houses were destroyed in the ward but many people came asking for recommendations,” said Singh. “The locals argue with us and ask us to recommend them for the grant, saying that since it’s the government providing the relief grant, who are we to question them.”

The ward chairman also said that there have been instances where the local office had recommended people for grants for partial damage to their house but they came back with grants for fully damaged houses.

Each disaster-affected family will get a total of Rs 500,000 under the relief grant— Rs 400,00 allocated by the District Disaster Management Committee and Rs 100,000 given by the provincial government. In Bajhang, the victims are currently receiving Rs 20,000 in the first trance of the relief grant.

As of Tuesday, the District Disaster Management Committee has already distributed over 7.2 million rupees in grants. However, according to the locals, more than half of the grant recipients were fake victims.

The local residents say the fake victims include relatives of the village representatives, employees of the municipality and other influential people.

“People who had suffered minimal loss in the October disaster were found taking the full grant amount allocated for those whose houses were destroyed,” said Surendra Khati, another resident of Khaptadchhanna Rural Municipality-1. “Meanwhile, people who have suffered heavy losses are yet to be included in the beneficiary list.”

The District Administration Office is currently distributing the first tranche of the relief grant provided by the District Disaster Management Committee.

According to the Disaster Victim Relief and Rescue guideline 2077, those who lose their houses to floods and landslides are entitled to a grant amount of Rs. 400,000, the same amount provided to the earthquake victims of 2015.

The Far-Western Provincial Government has also decided to provide an additional Rs 100,000 relief grant to those whose houses were destroyed by the October floods.

Chief District Officer of Bajhang Mohan Adhikari, who is also the chairman of the District Disaster Management Committee, said that the relief amount was distributed in line with the standard set by the committee.

“The grant has been issued to only those who are able to provide a list of documents, including the recommendation of the ward office, a field inspection report from the police, photos of the damaged house, house ownership document and the victim's application,” said Adhikari.

“After reports of fake victims receiving monetary support surfaced, the relief distribution has been put on hold,” said Adhikari. “Those who qualified for the grant had all the necessary documents with them. So the issue lies with the police and the ward office for falsifying documents.”

An investigation has been initiated and those who took the grant from the District Administration Office with fake documents will face strict action, said Adhikari.

Meanwhile, Chief of the District Police Office Kamal Chaudhari says the police relied on local witnesses to prepare their field report.

“Our report is based on the accounts of the local people. If the investigation reveals that they provided us with false information, we will take action,” said Chaudhari.