Engineers deployed in the earthquake-hit districts have been left without works owing to the delay in housing reconstruction aid agreement.  

Many engineers who were appointed to supervise the housing reconstruction project are sitting idle because the National Reconstruction Authority (NRA) has yet to finalise the agreement. The agreement delay has also caused the earthquake survivors to postpone the plan to rebuild their homes with monsoon approaching near.

“We could not do our assigned work. We have been assisting the NRA for the housing aid agreement,” said Binaya Khanal, an engineer deployed in Rayale VDC of Kavre district.

Ashtalal Suwal, the chief of Kavre division office of the Department of Urban Development and Building Construction, said the primary task of the engineers is to supervise the housing reconstruction project, to make sure that the new homes are earthquake-resilient.

“So, their main work will only begin after the rebuilding starts which has not taken off,” he said.

The department had appointed 141 engineers to oversee the reconstruction project in Gorkha, but 43 of the engineers have yet to reach the district.

Kishwor Singh, the chief of Gorkha division office of the department, said the engineers who did reach the village to help out in the reconstruction project also could not perform their tasks effectively in absence of the agreement.

Similar was the situation in Rasuwa. The engineers deployed in the district have either returned home or waiting for the NRA to finalise the agreement, so that they could start their works.

The delay in agreement has also affected the distribution of rebuilding aid. Thousands of earthquake-affected families have not even received first installment of the aid so far.

(With inputs from our correspondents from Gorkha, Dolakha, Rasuwa and Kavre)