All homeless families will be resettled to new homes before monsoon: New NRA CEO

POST-QUAKE RECONSTRUCTION LAGGING BEHIND DUE TO ADEQUATE TECHNICAL HUMAN RESOURCES

KATHMANDU, Oct 25: Newly appointed Chief Executive Officer of the National Reconstruction Authority (NRA), Yubraj Bhusal has expressed his commitment to provide a new home to all the homeless families who are still living in the makeshift shelters before monsoon starts.

Thousands of families rendered homeless in the devastating earthquake of April 2015. But the post-quake reconstruction has failed to gain momentum even three years after the quake. “It is our target to resettle the thousands homeless families from their tents to their new homes before next July,” said Bhusal while speaking during an interaction program organized by the Reporters’ Club Nepal on Wednesday.

Bhusal reasoned that post-quake reconstruction efforts were still lagging behind in lack of adequate technical human resources and pledged to recruit and train technicians as required by the rural municipalities and municipalities across the country for the same.

He said, “One of the major setbacks to the post-quake reconstruction work is lack of competent and skilled manpower at local levels. Our first step will be deploying qualified technicians to every station of the local units before mid-December. It will obviously gear up the reconstruction works,” he further added.

According to him, of the total 1100 technicians selected for the reconstruction effort, more than 900 had placed their requests to retain them in the Kathmandu Valley. “Since a majority of the technicians are city-centered, the reconstruction drive in the remote areas is still a distant dream,” Bhusal argued.

In reference to the international donors’ conference held in 2015 in the wake of the Gorkha Earthquake, he said that the NRA could organize similar kind of conference yet again if need be.

The newly appointed CEO of NRA clarified that the reconstruction drive was not affected due to financial constraints but due to failure to mobilize the resources in the Authority.

He shared that the NRA had ensured the release of more than Rs 1.49 billion fund in the current fiscal year for the reconstruction of 767,000 houses. More than 87,000 quake-survivors have received the second installment of total Rs 300,000 relief assistance.

Bhusal also said that he would fulfill his responsibility without coming under pressure from any political parties or influence.

He said, “I have no any political background. During these three years tenure, I will serve my people honestly while focusing the entire energy on the reconstructions.”

“People need result. Unless a homeless a relocated to a new home, we can call it a success. I pledge relief to every affected family,” added Bhusal.