Banepa, October 22

As many as 900 households affected by the earthquakes last year have yet to receive the government-pledged grant for reconstruction of their damaged houses.

The victims deprived of the reconstruction grant include those who do not have land-ownership certificate, who are living in land owned by religious trusts, landless squatters and those whose lands have not been registered, according to District Development Committee, Kavrepalanchok.

Planning Officer at the DDC Office, Dholakhnath Dhakal, said they had not received any specific instructions for distributing reconstruction grant to those without landownership certificates.

Most quake victims of Phalantey and Bhumlutaar areas of Kavrepalanchok district do not have land ownership certificates.

Similarly, most of the locals at Koshidekha and Simthali, among other VDCs, and landless squatters of the district have been living in land belonging to religious trusts. The District Reconstruction Authority had published the names of total 58,608 beneficiaries, but has recommended the District Treasury Controller Office to release the grant amount to only 55,865 households.

So far, as many as 57,865 earthquake victim families in the district have been provided with the grant amount of Rs 50,000 each in the first instalment while not a single earthquake victim in the district has received 100 per cent of the grant amount.