KATHMANDU

Thirty-six-year old Shiva Bhujel was watching TV on the first floor of his two-storied house with his youngest son and an uncle when everything started shaking. And their mud house in Balkot, Bhaktapur too started shaking on April 25 noon.

“I was not sure what was happening,” recalls Bhujel, who was pulled out of the house by his uncle. “Thanks to my uncle, we survived but we have become homeless,” shared Bhujel, who has been taking shelter under a plastic tent in a field.

The house is no longer habitable. The first floor has collapsed and it is dangerous even to enter the house.

“I haven’t entered my house since Saturday (April 25) and everything is inside the house,” shares Bhujel who is worried about his youngest son Manjesh.

“He just keeps on staring and doesn’t speak much,” states Bhujel’s wife Maiya.

Another family that has survived the tragedy is Dharma Adhikari’s. A resident of Balkot, Adhikari was about to enter his house after feeding his cow in the shed in front of his house when he felt the tremor.

“But I didn’t know it was an earthquake and I tried to go inside when my father stopped me,” 60-year-old Adhikari says.

And within seconds, his house collapsed — “had it been night time, our entire family would have died in the house” he says. The three-storied house is also no longer habitable and the Adhikari family, rendered homeless, is staying under a tent too.

Both families understand that it is a natural disaster and nothing is under their control, but what hurts them is the “people of authority who haven’t bothered even to come and check our situation” complains Bhujel.

“They haven’t stepped in our area even once — those leaders are in that position with our votes, but they have completely forgotten about us during such a tragedy. If they can’t do much, they can at least visit the affected areas, motivate and console people and assess our situation so that the right help can reach on the right time,” Bhujel opines.

The small village of Balkot, that was recently turned into Anantalingeshwor Municipality hasn’t received any help or support from the government till date say the victims who are still “waiting for immediate help like tents”.