Dhading, March 5

National Reconstruction Authority Chief Executive Officer Govinda Raj Pokhrel today said the NRA was preparing to amend Reconstruction Working Procedure so that no earthquake victim whose house was damaged due to the devastating earthquake of April 2015 would be deprived of government relief, for not having land ownership certificates.

Releasing a book Devastating Earthquake 2072 Dhading Special, CEO Pokhrel said the NRA was preparing to amend the act in such a way that the victims would be provided government relief if they presented any evidence that they had been living in a house permanently, irrespective of whether they were squatters or had split from their family. He also said that as they had received more than 83,000 complaints so far, they were preparing to decentralise them to the district level to deal with them at the earliest.

CEO Pokhrel stressed on good intention, capability, and culture of delivering efficient services. He said it was getting late for distribution of the second instalment as donor agencies had delayed handing over the amount they had pledged. “If all national and international non-governmental organisations facilitate technically in the reconstruction drive, work would be easier and faster,” he said.

It is embarrassing to say that technicians can’t stay in rural areas where the locals have been staying for years. He asked them to use sleeping bags and mats during reconstruction in rural locations.

Meanwhile, lawmaker Guru Burlakoti demanded that reconstruction offices be established in all VDCs, easy road access to all the villages, easy supply of timber, water, boulders, sand and other essentials for reconstruction be ensured. Another lawmaker Dil Man Pakhrin stressed on the need to distribute the money for the second instalment as early as possible.