National
Parsa fire victims get new homes a year after disaster
People whose houses were destroyed in a massive fire at Hariharpur-9, Parsa a little over a year ago have been provided new houses.Sankhar Acharya
District Red Cross Society (DRCS) and Nepal Christian Relief Service (NCRS) jointly handed over the houses to the fire victims amid a function on Thursday. Each of these houses consists of a bed room, a kitchen and a rest room. Two tube wells have also been installed to supply water to the houses regularly.
Chief District Officer Keshav Raj Ghimire said that Hariharpur could serve as a model village with houses having basic amenities and sanitation.
50-year-old Jagiya Devi, one of the fire victims, said she can’t bear to remember the dreadful day in March, 2014 when her house with all her belongings inside it was destroyed in the blaze.
“After the tragic incident, we never imagined that we will have a new house and that life would return to normalcy,” said Devi, adding that life has indeed taken a turn for the better after new houses were handed to the fire victims.
Similarly, Sushilkanta Paswan, another fire victim, said that his aim of building a new house for his family following the tragedy has been fulfilled thanks to the noble gesture. “Now I only need to work hard to sustain my family”, said Paswan.
“Samaritan’s Purse Canada, a Christian Relief and Development Organisation had constructed the houses at a cost of Rs 2.78 million,” said Romi KC, programme coordinator of the NCRS.
At least 19 houses were destroyed in the blaze at Gulariya settlement in Hariharpur-9, Parsa on March 13, 2014. The fire broke out from the house of one Rajdev Paswan and soon spread in the adjacent houses.