Six and a half months after the devastating earthquake, reconstruction has barely started in Sindhupalchok, one of the worst affected districts.

Hari Bahadur Dangal, 59, is worried about the fast approaching winter. “It is already getting very cold. Without a proper roof and wall, dew is beginning to seep into the blanket at night,” he said. Dangal lives with his wife and two grandsons in Sano Sirubari, 5 km from the district headquarters Chautara, which is now part of Chautara Municipality.

Ganesh Raj Shrestha, another resident of Sano Sirubari, also complains about the cold weather and a lack of proper shelter. Sindhupalchok suffered worst among the 14 severely hit districts from the earthquake—3,557 dead and more than 66,000 houses destroyed or damaged.

Even in the district with such level of destruction, the rebuilding process is yet to kick off. In fact, the landscape is still dotted with tarpaulins of various colours displaying different names and logos of the donors.

So far villagers have received only Rs15,000 of the promised Rs200,000 for rebuilding their houses. They are waiting for the rest of the money to come through before starting any reconstruction.

“We’ve heard that those who have rebuilt homes already will not get the money,” says Hari Bahadur Dangal. “I don’t want to lose that money by starting reconstruction [on my own now].” Local Development Officer Krishna Bahadur Shahi said the homes have to be built based on the government’s guidelines in order to be eligible for the state assistance.

Dangal and others have salvaged whatever they can to build shelters. Some villages have received support from non-governmental organisations to set up temporary shelters. But they are reluctant to commit to immediately start permanent reconstruction.

LDO Shahi said the money would be released soon. Urban Development Office, a government entity with the authority to disburse reconstruction assistance, has been set up in the district.

Disbursement can start once the office receives applications from the locals, said Shahi.

But not many people in the district seem to be aware of how the reconstruction assistance will be rolled out.

The office has 25 earthquake resistant house designs and the applicants will have to choose one from the official list.

Some NGOs have trained local masons and residents on building low-cost quake-resistant homes.

Chief District Officer Bal Bhadra Giri said he faces tremendous pressure from the public. “I get several calls and delegations each day from citizens complaining about the cold weather,” he said.

With politicians in Kathmandu failing to get even a bill approved to constitute the National Reconstruction Authority, the lead agency to coordinate post-disaster reconstruction, undue delays and a lack of urgency at the Centre in Kathmandu seem to be discouraging citizens from taking active steps to rebuild homes and make their lives normal.