Bureaucratic red tape deprives quake victims of housing grant

Lalitpur, April 25

Almost two years ago, then prime minister KP Oli had inaugurated the reconstruction of Rato Machhendranath temple in Bungamati, Lalitpur, promising locals they would soon rebuild their community. Today, 450 families in the area are battling rain and sun under plastic tents.

Suman Maharjan, a local, said 853 houses were damaged in Bungamati during the 2015 earthquakes. “We have been waiting for the government’s aid for two years now. We thought that our problems would end after the state announced it would be distributing grants, but were not prepared for subsequent bureaucratic nightmare,” he said.

Keshab Shrestha, a local of Bajrabarahi, Lalitpur, said, “I have spent many days going from one government office to another, even before the earthquake happened, to get ownership certificate. My land is registered in the Land Survey Department, but I had not been issued an ownership certificate. I even went to court for this, where they passed a verdict on my behalf. That was three years ago, and now their inefficiency has cost me a roof over my head.”

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