By A Staff Reporter
Kathmandu, July 10: The National Reconstruction Authority (NRA) has said that about two-thirds of houses damaged by the 2015 Gorkha earthquake had been rebuilt.
At a meeting of the Development and Technology Committee of the Federal Parliament on Thursday, Chief Executive Officer of the NRA Sushil Gyawali said that 507,623 houses were reconstructed while 202,643 houses were under reconstruction.
A total of 786,144 households had signed grant agreements with the government for the reconstruction of their houses and to get the grant. Of them, 65 per cent houses have been reconstructed while 25 per cent houses are under reconstruction.
The highest number of houses - 70,097 units - have been rebuilt in Sindhupalchowk district, which had suffered most human and infrastructure losses in the quake.
Reconstruction of 56,000 houses is completed in Gorkha district, the epicentre of the devastating quake of 6.9 magnitude. Likewise, 64,124 are rebuilt in Nuwakot district.
CEO Gyawali informed that NRA had addressed more than 600,000 complaints. He said that all the landless and squatter beneficiaries had been settled while land was arranged to resettle the people of the risky areas.
Some 86 proposals for the integrated settlements have been received by the reconstruction body while some well-planned and attractive integrated settlements are created in different locations, Gyawali said.
The NRA said that the reconstruction of schools, heritages of archaeological importance, health institutions, government buildings and buildings of security agencies was moving ahead with desired speed.
Committee Chairperson Kalyani Kumari Khadka said that the reconstruction of private houses and schools has progressed well and directed to speed up the reconstruction of heritage since the term of the reconstruction body was going to expire in coming December. However, there are chances of extension of the tenure of the NRA in order to complete the remaining reconstruction works.
During the briefing, lawmakers had urged the NRA to pay special attention to the reconstruction of the monasteries. The NRA stated that 402 monasteries had been repaired and 117 monasteries would be rebuilt in the coming fiscal year.