CHAUTARA: As many as 35 per cent earthquake-affected people in Sindhupalchok district have yet to reconstruct their houses. Sindhupalchok is one of the worst affected districts by the devastating earthquake of April 2015.

The quake survivors in the district have not been able to rebuild their houses as they have already spent the first tranche of the house construction grants for domestic purposes. Furthermore, the shortage of financial support and skilled construction workers, coupled with sky-rocketing cost of construction materials have led to the current predicament, according to the earthquake victims.

There are 78,537 registered earthquake survivor beneficiaries in the district. Additional 5,126 quake survivor families, who were left out from the first list of beneficiaries, were registered later.

So far only 65 per cent of those registered beneficiaries have started constructing their houses in the district, informed Tanka Gautam, Chief of the Urban Development and Building Construction Division Office.

According to Chief Gautam, 40,350 families have been recommended for the second installment while 5,486 families have been recommended for the third installment of the government grants.

Meanwhile, 63 earthquake-affected families, who were displaced after their lands developed cracks and gaps following the earthquake, have been settled in a safe place by purchasing housing plots for them. Among these families, 18 are from Barhabise Municipality and 43 are from Indrawati Rural Municipality, according to Rudra Bahadur Malla, Chief of National Reconstruction Authority, Sindhupalchok.

So far 521 families in the district have been identified as living in risky areas in the district, Chief Malla added.