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Chepangs pay back loans with relief amount
Chepangs pay back loans with relief amountHarihar Singh Rathaur
A majority of earthquake-hit Chepang people in the district paid loans with Rs 10,000 they received as winter relief from the government.
Many quake-hit Chepangs paid back loan to local traders at Charaundi in the district. Balbir Chepang of Dhusha-9 said he paid Rs 6,000 as he had purchased foodstuffs and other daily essentials in the past. “Why to buy warm clothes at the end of winter season?” Balbir asked, adding that he will give the remaining Rs 4,000 to his wife. He said many villagers passed the bone-chilling cold with some clothes bought with borrowed money.
Devlal Praja, another local resident, also shared a similar ordeal. “I had to borrow money to buy clothes and food for my 12-member family. After paying back debt, only Rs 2,000 is left with me now,” he said.
There are around 600 Chepang households in the VDC. Amar Chepang, a local leader, said he had asked all Chepang families in Wards Number 7-9 to go to the VDC office in Charaudi in order to receive the relief amount. The villagers, however, had to walk for five hours to reach the VDC office though the relief amount was supposed to be distributed in their settlement itself.
Local authorities said they distributed the relief amount from the VDC office due to lack of staffers. Senior citizens with quake survivor identity cards, meanwhile, had to send their sons and daughters to receive the amount from the VDC office. Some of quake survivors returned home empty-handed as they were listed as recipients.
Sources said more than half of the quake survivors are yet to receive the relief amount due to carelessness of local administration, absence of VDC officials and transportation difficulties though the District Disaster Management Committee decided to distribute the amount in 46 VDCs and a municipality within January 4.
Local Development Officer Bhagawan Aryal said they have already distributed winter relief to quake-hit people in Jharlang, Sertung, Lapa, Tipling and Ree VDCs. “We sent the relief amount and staffers via helicopter to the quake-ravaged
settlements,” he said.