Fast-track survey in Valley

PM KP Oli walks out of Parliament after the main opposition Nepali Congress party prevented him from addressing the house on Friday. The NC has obstructed the proceedings in Parliament from Thursday, demanding the government explain the delay in post-earthquake reconstruction. Photo: RSS

The National Reconstruction Authority (NRA) has announced that it will adopt a fast-track method to conduct a survey of earthquake-affected households in the Valley.  This came in the wake of mounting pressure from the main opposition party Nepali Congress concerning the government’s sluggish reconstruction procedure.

The NRA said it will seek reapplications from those whose houses were destroyed in Kathmandu, Bhaktapur and Lalitpur by last year’s quake.  Subsequently, it will carry out the survey as a method of authentication, in lieu of a house-to-house exercise.

NRA spokesperson Ram Thapaliya said: “We will only survey the households destroyed in the Valley after receiving the reapplications.  Earthquake-affected persons who had not previously registered as victims should also submit applications, to be eligible to receive the government grant of Rs 200,000.”

Thapaliya added that the NRA will publish the list of applicants who receive Earthquake Victim Identity Cards in the Valley, and perform the survey in those households. “This is to verify who the genuine earthquake victims are, and to save time as well.”

The NRA submitted its progress report to Prime Minister KP Oli on Friday, as the main opposition party Nepali Congress has been disrupting the proceedings in Parliament, demanding clarification for the delay in reconstruction efforts.

Nepali Congress MPs obstructed Oli when he attempted to address the House on this topic today, asserting he had not engaged in prior consultation with them. The House was adjourned until the further notice.

According to the report, it will be a costly and lengthy process if a house-to-house survey in Kathmandu, Bhaktapur and Lalitpur is carried out, as was done in the other 11 affected districts. Utilisation of the verification model in the Valley will expedite the process.

The NRA recently completed a detailed assessment in the 11 most-affected districts — Gorkha, Nuwakot, Sindhupalchok, Ramechhap, Dhading, Kavre, Dolakha, Rasuwa, Okhaldhunga, Sindhuli and Makwanpur — and approximately 533,454 households have been found eligible to receive grants.

Shreejana Shrestha