Party leaders and candidates who have reached Dharma during the election campaign have promised to help rebuild homes, but earthquake victims are not convinced.
What you should know
The earthquake that struck on Friday night, 17 Kartik 2080, with its epicenter in Ramidanda, Jajarkot, destroyed the two-story house of Lal Bahadur Khatri of Kaulabot, Salyan Darma Rural Municipality-5. After the house built at a cost of 800,000 collapsed, he lived in a tent for a few months. The government provided him with 50,000 as immediate relief to build a temporary tent. Since then, after the government neglected to provide additional relief and rebuild the damaged house, he himself built a two-room house at a cost of 245,000.
Jagat Khadka of Kafalneta, whose two-story house was damaged by the earthquake, has not yet been able to receive more than 25,000 out of the 50,000 he received as immediate relief from the government. Even though the government said it would rebuild the damaged house, he and his family of three have been living in a tin-roofed tent since it has not shown any interest so far.
The earthquake that struck Ward 6 of Darma Rural Municipality two years ago damaged 4,081 houses. As per the decision made by the government at that time, only 2,388 people in the municipality have received only 25,000 as the first installment for house reconstruction, while others have not received any relief. Disappointed by the government's neglect, the earthquake victims have demanded assistance from the candidates campaigning for the House of Representatives elections to be held on 21 Falgun to rebuild their houses. Despite repeated initiatives, the concerned bodies have not shown any interest, so they have demanded assistance from the candidates campaigning for the election.
The earthquake victims of Darma are still repairing their damaged houses and living in some huts. The candidates who reached the village have expressed their commitment to take the initiative in rebuilding the damaged houses. Party leaders and candidates who went on election campaigns have promised to help in rebuilding the damaged houses, but the earthquake victims are not convinced.
Bhadra Bahadur Chand of Darma Rural Municipality-4, Galat, accused the government of neglecting the earthquake victims of Salyan. He informed that despite collecting the data on the reconstruction of the damaged houses, he was not confident that the houses would be built. ‘The government promised to give 50,000 rupees for immediate relief to build a hut, but they took out loans to build a hut. They gave only 25,000 rupees. Instead, they took out 15,000 rupees in loans. Because the government ignored them, we had to demand it from the leaders who came to the election campaign,’ he said. ‘When Pushpakamal Dahal was the Prime Minister, he came to Farula in Darma and made a commitment to rebuild the houses. But he did nothing. That is why I do not think that the current candidates will fulfill the demand either.’
Nim Bahadur Khadka, a ward member of Darma Rural Municipality-5, said that since the previous leaders who came to the government did nothing, he was hopeful that the new ones would do something. He said that many earthquake victims here are still living in temporary huts and repairing the collapsed houses.
The earthquake damaged more than 250 houses out of 700 houses in his ward. Sarku Khatri, ward chair of Darma Rural Municipality-2, said that various risks are increasing for those forced to live in damaged houses. "Not everyone in the ward can build a house with their own investment. The government has only shown hope, and has not been able to provide relief even two years after the earthquake. Everyone is demanding that they do something since they won the election," he said. He says it is natural for victims to make demands.
