Khotang, November 24

Some 357 families in Khotang, who had rebuilt their earthquake-ravaged homes before the post-quake reconstruction campaign took off, have received lump sum amount as housing grant.

According to National Reconstruction Authority District Project Implementation Unit Office first class non-gazetted officer Maniram Dhakal, families in Barahapokhari, Sakela and Diprung rural municipalities and Diktel-Rupakot-Majhuwagadhi Municipality, who had built houses prior to the reconstruction drive and those who had received the first instalment of the housing grant had received the aggregate amounts they were entitled to.

According to official data, around 1,200 beneficiaries had constructed their homes before the reconstruction drive kicked-off in the district. “We’ve started distributing the grant in aggregate after a procedure for the same was finalised towards the previous fiscal’s end. Similarly, of the 10,567 complaints related to reconstruction, we’ve resolved 8,602 by assigning engineers for the required survey,” said Dhakal.

To address the complaints, engineers were deployed for surveys from May 3 to June 30. As per official data, some 13,799 houses were damaged in the 2015-earthquakes. Some 18 government buildings were damaged fully, while 55 others received minor damage from the jolts. While work of integrated settlement in Dorpachiuridanda and Bijayakharka were under way, reconstruction of 265 schools had also started.

As per an estimate, 81 per cent of the post-quake reconstruction has been completed in the district so far. Khotang has eight rural municipalities and two municipalities.