Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has renewed concerns over the slow pace of reconstruction works, particularly the delay in distribution of the first tranche of aid to hundreds of households affected by the earthquakes last year.

In a meeting on Monday, PM Dahal asked Sushil Gyewali, chief executive officer of the National Reconstruction Authority, for a progress report on the rebuilding aid distribution.

“Dahal is miffed at the delay in reconstruction works and the NRA’s inability to deliver on its pledge to provide aid to all at the earliest,” said PM’s Press Adviser Govinda Acharya.

Despite the PM’s repeated instructions to distribute the first instalment of the private house rebuilding cash to all, more than 200,000 households from 31 districts have yet to be aided. There is growing concern on all quarters over the delay in reaching out to all of the affected families. In an interview on Monday, PM Dahal indicated at a change in leadership and policies of the NRA to expedite overall reconstruction.

Gyewali, however, said the PM was satisfied with the current pace of reconstruction. “There has been a significant increase in the number of households receiving the aid of late,” said the NRA chief. “Despite the progress, reconstruction works have not moved as expected due to bureaucratic hurdles.”

He blamed the delay on stakeholders who “lack expertise, adequate human resource and coordination”. “We have decided to come up with action plans with a definite time frame,” Gyewali added. The plan would be discussed at a meeting of the NRA directive committee on Sunday.

With the cold season in, hundreds of families in the mid-hills and even Kathmandu Valley are likely to be without proper shelter for months to come. They are living in harsh conditions, 19 months after the disaster struck.

Of the 625,986 households registered, 431,905 have received the first tranche of Rs50,000 as of Tuesday.