National
3-tier body formed to address plaints
The National Reconstruction Authority (NRA) has established a three-tier mechanism to address the grievances of quake survivors. Addressing complaints filed by quake survivors has emerged as one of the most challenging tasks of the authority which is mandated to oversee the post-quake reconstruction process.The National Reconstruction Authority (NRA) has established a three-tier mechanism to address the grievances of quake survivors. Addressing complaints filed by quake survivors has emerged as one of the most challenging tasks of the authority which is mandated to oversee the post-quake reconstruction process.
A guideline for managing grievances regarding the ongoing reconstruction drive was recently endorsed by an executive committee meeting of the NRA. As per the guideline, three different committees have been formed at the ward level, village council/municipal council level and central level.
The recently elected local representatives, including mayors, deputy mayors, chiefs and deputy chiefs of municipalities and rural municipalities will be mobilised for sorting out issues at the local level. The system has been set up to address the grievances at the local level itself.
The NRA has also approved a guideline that enables the authority to deploy local representatives. If agencies at the local level fail to address the issues, they will be forwarded to the central level, where there will be a five-member mechanism.
The central level mechanism holds the authority to rope in experts, if needed.
The central level authority can also review the decisions made at ward level and village and municipal level if it receives complaints against their decision.
The NRA earlier this week stated that it had addressed 31,979 pending grievances that were registered at the centre.
The complaints were filed by victims of 14 districts worst hit by the 2015 earthquake. After reviewing 31,979 complaints, it had decided to include 3,898 households in the housing aid beneficiary list. Likewise, a field survey of 15,453 households will be conducted while another survey will be carried out for 12,628 households which were missed out earlier, the NRA has said.
The NRA has received a total of 207,861 complaints.
The NRA has said it hopes to achieve substantial progress in addressing public concerns as well as expediting reconstruction drive by involving local representatives in the next fiscal year.
“It’s a win-win situation. While local representatives have been seeking for active role, we are in need of mechanisms to oversee the development at the local level,” NRA Chief Executive Officer Govind Raj Pokharel said.
The NRA is also planning to award reconstruction projects related to drinking water supply and irrigation, among others, to the local bodies for making the reconstruction process more participatory.
In line with NRA’s initiative of expediting reconstruction drive, a steering committee meeting of the NRA on Wednesday approved Rs145.93 billion for the fiscal year 2017-18. The amount is 31 percent more than what the NRA had at its disposal in the current fiscal year.