Kathmandu, February 2

Of more than 100,000 houses that were damaged in the 2015 earthquakes in Kathmandu, only 4,300 houses have been rebuilt so far, while 15,000 are still under construction, according to National Reconstruction Authority.

Deputy Mayor of Kathmandu Metropolitan City Hari Prabha Khadgi said a lot of earthquake survivors in the metropolis were still living in makeshift tents or in dilapidated houses.

Khadgi said the urban poor, whose houses were demolished in the earthquakes, had yet to receive government relief.

“A lot of people residing in the core city areas and slums do not have land ownership certificates,” said Khadgi, adding the government-pledged grant amount of Rs 300,000 could not even cover the cost of demolishing the damaged houses, let alone rebuild them.

Some of the quake-damaged houses have been built on land owned by guthis, and banks do not sanction loans to rebuild houses on such land. “Due to which, a lot of quake survivors are compelled to live in makeshift shelters or in damaged houses,” she said.

The deputy mayor conceded that the KMC had not done anything to ensure that the quake survivors received the housing grant or bank loan provided by the government.

Moreover, reconstruction of demolished heritage sites has yet to begin. Khadgi said the KMC would soon start the work on this front. “Even though I do not have the right to spend, I am committed to expediting development work,” she said, adding the elected representatives should work to address the voters’ aspirations for change.

She attributed the delay in reconstruction to lack of understanding among elected representatives of different parties.

Khadgi expressed concerns that her tenure might expire without doing any significant work.

“Promises and commitments made during the elections do not allow me to have sound sleep at night,” said Khadgi, adding she was also not satisfied with the KMC’s performance for the past eight months.

People in the metropolis want their problems such as maintenance of sewage system, potholes on roads and drinking water woes be addressed by elected representatives. They also want to get rid of increasing dust and air pollution.