Local levels told to expedite rebuilding work

Kathmandu, November 13

The Ministry of Federal Affairs and General Administration has issued a circular to all local levels of 32 earthquake-affected districts, directing them to act on the November 11 decisions of the National Reconstruction Authority regarding the reconstruction of damaged monuments.

The NRA had decided that the government would provide the concerned rural municipalities or municipalities grant amount equivalent to 50 per cent of the total cost to be incurred for reconstruction of monasteries, viharas and stupas, and the remaining 50 per cent would be arranged by the concerned local levels and users committees of such monuments.

Bupendra Rayamajhi, section officer at Planning and Monitoring Section of MoFAGA, said the local levels were told to arrange the necessary amount as per the NRA’s request. According to MoFAGA, the NRA also decided to provide 100 per cent grant to local levels and user committees for reconstruction of damaged monasteries, viharas and stupas that are more than 100 years old and have a plinth area of over 2,000 square feet.

Reconstruction will be carried out with the direct participation of the Central Level Project Implementation Unit (Grant Management and Local Infrastructure) under this provision. According to the Department of Archaeology, 753 temples and heritage monuments across the country, including 241 shrines in Kathmandu, 73 in Bhaktapur and 130 in Patan, were damaged or destroyed in the 2015 earthquakes.

Hari Prasad Bhusal, an archaeology officer at the DoA, said a total of 193 reconstruction works were completed as of October with the support of the department, foreign donors, local levels and local stakeholders and remaining works were under way.