RAMECHHAP: The government had decided to distribute Rs 15,000 to each household destroyed by the earthquake to help quake victims construct temporary shelters by mid-June. However, the majority victims, are yet to get the relief amount in Ramechhap.

Leave alone the relief amount, the VDCs and DDCs here haven’t even distributed identity cards to quake victims in the district.

Two municipalities and 45 VDCs were devastated by the deadly quake of April 25 and its aftershocks in the district. But till now, the DDC has released the amount only in Namadi, Rampur, Makadum, Khimti, Farpur, Bijulikot, Kubukasthali, Gumdel and Rakathum VDCs and Manthali municipality. Among these VDCs, only 500, 700 and 500 households of Rampur, Namadi and Gumdel respectively have been provided with the amount. The relief fund is yet to reach the remaining VDCs and one municipality.

Identity cards have been distributed in 16 wards of Manthali municipality. However, distribution of the ID card is yet to start in Ramechhap Municipality.

NC leader and former state minister for Water Resources Laxman Prasad Ghimire complained that it would take four more months to distribute the relief amount to victims due to the modus operandi of government staff.

“Some VDCs have no secretary while others are running with temporary staff,” Ghimire said, adding, “Problem has been seen even in the collection of data on victims.”

Ghimire commented that distributing cash to victims for temporary shelters was proving an arduous task. He asked that the DAO, DDC and other local government agencies were responsible for providing the relief amount at the earliest.

Narayan Prasad Subedi, officer at DDC, said there had been delay in distribution of ID cards and relief amount to the victims.

Quake victim Narayan Shrestha from Pakarbash lamented that he was yet to get the relief fund though one week had passed since he received an ID card saying his house was completely damaged.

Pakarbash VDC Secretary Kewal Kumar Das said they were having a hard time distributing cash as pressure was mounting to add the number of households destroyed by the quake for the relief amount.