No housing grants for houses built in landslide hit areas

Dhading, July 7 / Kalman Tamang of Hindung of remote northern part of Dhading has already completed the house construction criteria to draw the second instalment of government housing grants announced for those affected by the 2015 April earthquake.

Technician had reached the village to inspect the progress on his house construction before recommending the National Reconstruction Authority for the second tranche. Another local Nubu Tamang was waiting for the third tranche. He was requesting technician to visit his under construction house and recommend for the third instalment. But, the notice sent to them by the government informed them that the settlement was not suitable for residential purposes and they need to shift to safety.

It has been already a delay when the government sent a notice to the villagers citing 93 houses in the settlement are under extreme risk of landslide and thus not safe for them. It also declared that allocation of housing grants to those new houses being built on the area hit by landslides would be stopped.

But, 23 houses are being rebuilt here.

The government has announced to Rs 200,000 to each family to buy a land plot in safer areas to build new house. With this announcement, they are in dilemma whether to continue the house constructions, said local social worker Bijay Tamang
Netra Bahadur Ghale of Chepangchet, an area highly vulnerable to landslide, has already received the second tranche of house grants. His under construction house also stands on the landslide debris.

According to NRA District Implementation Unit chief Engineer Rajendra KC, the government has announced to stop the allocation of remaining portion of grants to those houses standing on unsafe foundations. Chepanchet, home to 40 families, almost all have already received the amount of first instalment.

A study team comprising geological engineers and geologists tracked 276 families in 10 settlements at Ruby Valley, Netrawati and Gaigajamuna Rural Municipalities under constant threat of landslides. The villagers were informed about this after a long time of the completion of study, which has put them in sheer uncertainty, while the monsoon has already become effective posing challenges. RSS