Reconstruction of 13 schools in Dolakha district, which were damaged by the 2015-earthquake, has been left in limbo as the donor countries that had pledged to rebuild the infrastructure have yet to initiate the project.  

Indian authorities had promised to reconstruct 10 quake-damaged schools while the Chinese government had pledged to rebuild three schools.

However, it has been more than three years since the earthquake and the Indian authorities have yet to start the project while the Chinese authorities have just prepared the building design.

Around 366 schools in Dolakha district were damaged by the earthquake. Nepal government, donor countries and various donor agencies had pledged to reconstruct these buildings.

Dev Kumar Baral, chief at the district project implementation unit, said the 13 earthquake-damaged schools are still running classes in temporary huts as both the Indian and Chinese authorities have failed to carry out the project on time.

The government has so far reconstructed 71 schools in the district. Similarly, reconstruction of 109 schools has been completed with the support of Asian Development Bank, JICA, among other donor agencies.

However, the authorities concerned have started to inspect the reconstructed buildings after complaints were lodged that some of those buildings are below standards.

Rs 2 billion spent to rebuild classrooms

HETAUDA: District project implementation unit of the National Reconstruction Authority (NRA) in Makwanpur said over Rs 2 billion has been spent in the district so far to reconstruct school buildings destroyed in the 2015 earthquake. Prem KC, chief of project implementation unit, said a total of 1,274 classrooms are near completion.

Around 1,900 classrooms in the district were destroyed in the quake. Organising a press meet in Hetauda on Wednesday, an official from the NRA said more than Rs 7 billion has been spent so far for the reconstruction of private houses, school buildings and other infrastructures in Makwanpur.