Though earthquake-hit families in northern Dhading received Rs 10,000 as winter relief from the government, they have not yet purchased warm clothes as bazaar areas are far away from their settlements.

The government had ferried some winter relief items using helicopters and distributed them to quake-hit people in Tipling, Lapa, Jharlang, Sertung and Ree VDCs in the district. Authorities, meanwhile, said the number of households in the area has increased by 25 to 60 percent following the April 25 earthquake.

Many families who lost their relatives as well as houses to the quake, however, are facing difficulties as the area has been covered in snow

of late. Around 6,000 households in the region have been living in temporary huts despite biting cold.

Quake survivor Dhanbir Lama of Sertung-6 said they are unable to buy warm clothes with the amount received from the government. “We have no market nearby to buy warm clothes,” he said, informing that many people like him have to walk for two days purchase daily essentials from Satdobato in Gumdi. Stating that many youths left villages after the quake, Dhanbir said there’s no one in his neighbourhood to go to market for buying clothes.

Local Development Officer Bhagawan Aryal said quake-hit people in the northern villages have been deprived of salt and cooking oil. “They have rice and pulses but don’t have adequate amount of cooking oil and salt,” he said.

As the region is yet to be connected with road networks, essential items such as salt, cooking oil and rice are ferried by helicopters to the remote villages.

Chepangs picket VDC office Meanwhile, hundreds of quake-hit people from the Chepang and Dalit communities at Jogimara in Dhading picketed the VDC office on Wednesday saying that local administration prohibited a social organisation from distributing warm clothes to quake survivors in the area. Locals said around 700 quake-affected families in the VDC are still deprived of winter relief. Shankharam Chepang of Jogimara-2 said some families are facing serious problems due to cold. “The government has not provided winter relief to quake-hit families in our village,” he said, adding that most Chepangs living near Prithvi Highway have already received the amount. LDO Aryal said they stopped the organisation from distributing relief as it did not have funds to provide relief to all quake-hit families.

Govt blamed for failure to build temporary shelters

GORKHA, JAN 13

Displaced earthquake survivors at Laprak in the district, who have been living in huts at Gupsipakha forest area for past nine months, have accused government of not supporting them to construct temporary shelters.

Though the government provided Rs 15, 000 to construct temporary shelter, the displaced quake survivors are unable to build temporary shelters as they are living in forest area.

Quake survivor Tul Bahadur Gurung, 59, said government officials demolished their temporary shelters saying that they were built illegally in forest area. “I am now busy setting up tents after the recent snowfall destroyed our hut,” he said. A majority of displaced quake survivors in the area do not have land of their own. “The government provided Rs 15,000 to construct temporary huts, but, did not provide us land,” Tul Bahadur said.

As a result, the quake survivors are compelled to live in temporary tents. Locals said the District Disaster Management Committee had sought permission from the government to resettle the quake victims in forest land. Chief District Officer Uddhav Timalsena said they decided to settle displaced quake survivors in the area three months ago. “We have sent a file containing the decision to the Ministry of Home Affairs,” he said. Marshing Gurung, another displaced local, however, said the file was misplaced.

Sources claimed the file sent to the Ministry of Urban Development from the Ministry of Home Affairs. “The file has not been studied properly,” Marshing said.

It is said that even the Department of Forest had approved the plan to settle the displaced quake victims in forest area. Chairman of Local Rehabilitation Committee, Ganesh Gurung, said displaced people would have constructed houses had the government provided them land. “If quake-hit families construct houses at Gupsipakha, they can easily earn their livelihood working in farmlands. Many households have already bought galvanized zinc sheets to construct their own house,” he said.

CDO Timalsena said they can build an integrated settlement at Gupsipakha if the government allows them to use the forest land.