RAMECHHAP, Nov 17: Finance Minister Yuba Raj Khatiwada and Chief Executive Officer of National Reconstruction Authority (NRA) Sushil Gyawali visited the Majhi settlement of Ramechhap along with external donors on Friday.
The Majhi settlement of Gaikhura which lies near district headquarters Manthali, was flattened by the 2015 earthquake. Three years since the disaster, this community has just started to gather itself together.
Locals looked delighted to see two high-level officials of country visiting their settlement on the same day. In order to welcome the guests, they had made ‘Rangoli’, a colorful art decorated on the floors during Tihar festivals. Leaders and representatives of the district had also reached the Majhi settlement to welcome them.
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Hartwig Schafer, vice president of the World Bank, South Asia was also present with the dignitaries.
As per local representatives, the sole objective of the minister’s and CEO’s visit was to inform Shaefar about hydro projects running in the district and to show him the progress of reconstruction works.
Minister Khatiwada and officials talked with the locals and listened to their grievances. They quickly visited and inspected the settlement.
On his way back, Minister Khatiwada told journalists that reconstruction work would be completed on time. He informed that works have been intensified and a large number of houses have already been built.
He also claimed that budget crunch was the reason behind the delay in reconstruction. Approximately Rs 3 billion was estimated for the construction of almost a million houses. NRA chief Gyawali too inspected the Majhi settlement and talked with the locals regarding reconstruction.
There are altogether 63 households in the Majhi settlement and 30 of them have received the third tranche of quake grant. The housing reconstruction process had been sluggish here; however, it has started picking pace now. As per the overall data, only 50 percent of the quake-damaged houses in the district have been completely reconstructed.
