ACT SOON
The Kathmandu Post
1 May 2016
ACT SOON
Many quake victims are still living and
languishing in temporary shelters even after one year of the killer quake. Many
of them have not even received relief materials and grant money for buying GI
sheets. The government took many months to establish National Reconstruction
Authority (NRA) which is still understaffed. It is struggling to equip it with
adequate staff. The expertise of the chief of NRA has been questioned. However,
we still hope that it will realize its vital role and start working with extraordinary
efficiency.
The quake survivors have kept alive their hopes
of receiving grant money from the government so that they can rebuild their
permanent shelters before the onset of monsoon. However, lengthy bureaucratic
process has been a hurdle. It was encouraging to know that around two dozen
Nepali Congress lawmakers have now realized that reconstruction is moving
slowly and exerted pressure on Prime Minister K.P. Oli to expedite the process (“Congress
MPs ask PM to cut through red tape” 27 April, Page1).
PM Oli and his ministers continue to assure
the people that the government will leave no stone unturned to help the
affected people rebuild their homes before monsoon by releasing grant money as
soon as possible. However, the real problem lies at the implementation, both at
the centre and the local level. If the government fails to release grant money
and mobilize its machineries soon, more people will lose their lives during the
upcoming monsoon. Let us hope that Nepal will not turn into another Haiti.
Rai Biren Bangdel
Maharajgunj
http://kathmandupost.ekantipur.com/printedition/news/2016-05-01/letter-to-the-editor-20160501085750.html
