Earthquake survivors from the remote Yarsa village of Rasuwa district gather early this week for 'cash vouchers ' distributed by European Commission's Humanitarian and Civil Protection Department and the ACT alliance. Since the government is taking a too long time to set up the reconstruction authority leaving earthquake survivors in temporary shelters even during the harsh Himalayan winter, aid agencies have stepped in to help them buy warm clothes with their cash vouchers. Photo: Om Astha RaiSeven months after the devastating April earthquake, the National Reconstruction Authority bill has been finally tabled in the Parliament on Tuesday.
The bill was tabled by Ganga Chaudhary, President of the Parliament's bill committee, amidst sloganeering by Madhesi lawmakers.
Madhesi parties, which have been agitating against Nepal's new constitution for the last four months, had promised to help the passage of the bill.
But they tried to obstruct the house proceeding on Tuesday, protesting the major parties' unilateral decision to table the first constitution amendment bill alongside the reconstruction bill.
Madhesi Morcha, an alliance of four agitating Madhesi parties, was in favour of the passage of the reconstruction bill. But it opposed the first constitution amendment bill, seeking further deliberation on it.
But the main opposition NC wanted the ruling UML-Maoist parties to move forward the first constitution amendment bill simultaneously with the reconstruction bill. The NC had disrupted the house twice in the last week to thwart the ruling coalition's attempt to table the reconstruction authority bill.
The first constitution amendment bill, which addresses Madhesi demands for proportional representation and constituency delimitation in proportion to population, was registered by the previous NC government. And the NC wanted the passage of this bill at any cost to take credit for addressing Madhesi issues.
However, the first constitution amendment bill is unlikely to be passed without the Morcha's consent. The NC had reached an understanding with the UML-Maoist coalition to table the first constitution amendment bill but postpone its passage.
Due to delay in passing the reconstruction bill, the much-awaited reconstruction authority has not been formed even seven months after the earthquake that had killed 8,617 people and destroyed 473,000 houses.
Hundreds of thousands of people still live in temporary shelters and they are waiting for the reconstruction authority to approve housing designs and start disbursement of housing grants.
Donors have pledged US$ 4.1 billion for reconstruction of the earthquake-damaged infrastructure in central Nepal, but this money has so far remained unspent due to delay in formation of the authority.