Dolakha, February 28

National Reconstruction Authority has started retrofitting houses that were built in Dolakha without meeting the criteria set by the authority. A number of houses in Dolakha were built before the government formed the NRA.

The authority, in coordination with UNDP, launched the drive for 2,890 houses that were built by masons trained by Nepal Red Cross Society immediately after the 2015 earthquakes. The campaign is not meant for the houses built before the quake, it’s only for those houses rebuilt after the quake without conforming to the standards set by the NRA, according to NRA officials.

As the houses constructed by masons trained by the Red Cross didn’t fully meet the criteria endorsed by the authority, we couldn’t recommend housing grant for those victims, according to Building Division Office, Dolakha.

According to NRA District Coordination Committee Chief Sagar Acharya, two structural engineers have been mobilised for the retrofitting drive. “As there were complaints from victims about being deprived of the government grant, we decided to address their concerns and launched the campaign to provide them with the housing grant,” he said.

According to Acharya, retrofitting of 1,100 of 2,890 houses has been completed by now. “They have even received the second and third instalments,” he said.

Meanwhile, the victims have sought action against Red Cross for the hassles they had to bear by building houses as per its advice.