National
NRA dials dev partners for more technical support
National Reconstruction Authority chief Govind Raj Pokharel has urged development partners to increase their technical efforts and expedite reconstruction works in rural areas of the quake-affected districts.National Reconstruction Authority chief Govind Raj Pokharel has urged development partners to increase their technical efforts and expedite reconstruction works in rural areas of the quake-affected districts.
During a meeting held on Thursday with the representatives of various development partners that are assisting in post-quake reconstruction, NRA Chief Executive Officer Pokharel said that lack of technical human resources—and their poor management-was affecting rebuilding efforts in rural areas.
He called on the development partners and donors to put technical support at centre while carrying out reconstruction programmes and speed up rebuilding of private houses damaged by 2015 earthquake.
Pokharel also urged the representatives to extend support in housing id, infrastructure development and technical assistance if financial resources are available.
The meeting was attended by representatives from the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, Japan International Cooperation Agency, the United Nations Development Programme and Plan Nepal, among others.
“The NRA is ready to play the role of the coordinator for the organisations that are willing to provide technical assistance for rebuilding of private houses in an entire village in any of the quake-affected districts,” Pokharel said.
According to NRA officials, an initial report has found that more than 50 percent of the houses that are being rebuilt in the quake-affected districts have been flouting the government guideline for rebuilding houses.
“In the present condition, mobilising trained technical human resources, including engineers, overseers and sub-overseers, is more important than distributing housing aid to the families,” said a press statement issued by NRA on Thursday.
The meeting also discussed the concerns regarding reports about poor transparency and ineffective work from the non-governmental organisations working in reconstruction in affected districts. During the meeting, CEO Pokharel urged all concerned partners and organisations to work in a transparent and more effective way.