By Hari Prasad Koirala
Urlabari, June 10: Under the government’s Janata Awas Karyakram (People’s Housing Programme), 25 marginalised poor families of Ward 2 of Kanepokhari Gaunpalika in Morang district are set to receive free houses next month.
According to Tara Bahadur Kafle, chairman of Kanepokhari Gaunpalika, despite the nationwide lockdown, construction of the houses has begun since June 3.
With the houses being constructed, the families look happy.
“A fortnight ago, thunderstorm blew our roof and me and my wife hardly survived by hiding under the bed. I start palpitating in fear when the sky starts making noise.
But now, a house is being constructed for my family,” said 74-year-old Baburam Kafle, a local. Kafle is happy that a house is being constructed for his family.
Smile has also lurked in the lips of 46-year-old Sagiya Musahar.
Sagiya and her family had entered India nearly 12 years ago to sustain their life but had to return home with her three sons. Despite the earnings from three children, Sagiya was neither able to buy a land nor construct a house.
The family of Sagiya had been living in a small cottage-like-house where the family had to hide under plastic when it rained.
“A house is being constructed for us. It will be great if the land we are living is transferred in our name as well,” said Sagiya.
Most of the families, whose houses are being constructed, have been living as landless squatters in the area for many years.
“My grandfather also lived here and worked in the fields of others but still I have no house to live in. My grandfather was a landless squatter and so am I,” said 65-year-old Akhadu Musahar.
According to Akhadu, five generations of their family have been living in the same place as squatters, and the construction of house has brought happiness to them at the end.
“If the government gives land-owner certificate of the land we have been living in for years, it will provide us relief at the time of dying,” said Akhadu.
Baburam, Sagiya and Akhadu are the examples of the families living with the uncertainty of house and land for years.
However, they hope for the best that the government would look after them.
“The houses are being constructed in the support of organisations such as Habitat and Sahara Nepal,” said Tara Ojha, facilitator and secretary of People’s Housing Programme.
As per Ojha, Rs 175,000 will be spent for the construction of each house, of which the helping organisation would support Rs 100,000 and the Gaunpalika would support Rs 75,000.
The houses will have three rooms and a veranda.
After the construction, the houses will be handed over to the families by the Gaunpalika on July 9, according to Gaunpalika chair Kafle.