Bhaktapur : Local people in Bhaktapur have started repairing their houses damaged by the April 25 earthquake on their own as there is considerable delay in providing the relief fund the government had announced for the purpose.
The government is largely blamed for the delay, thus only adding to the woes of the victims of the devastating earthquake that left around 9,000 dead, hundreds others injured and damaged thousands of houses and structures across the country.
In lack of assistance, many quake survivors across the country are forced to live in tents or huts, braving the chilling cold.
In Bhaktapur, quake victims of Bhaktapur Municipality-1, 2 and 3, Jela, Bhelukhel, Pottery squares, Sukuldhoka, Byasi and Kamal Binayak among others, deprived of assistance in time, have started to build their ravaged houses on their own.
Ramila Suwal, a quake victim of Bhaktapur-11, has started using her damaged house for shelter with her five-member family after the repair following months of waiting for assistance to build a new house since the quake.
“We started living in the same damaged house after repairing it without any option left. But we are in constant fear that the tottering house may collapse any time and perish us,” she said.
Similar is the situation of other around 30 families of Taumadi Leyaku-11, who are living in repaired houses in lack of assistances from the government to rebuild their houses damaged by the quake.
“We do not have enough money to build new house on our own. Neither have we got any relief from the government so far,” bemoaned another quake survivor Laxmi Sundar Bhele.
Another quake victim Krishna Hari Khayetu of Bhelukhel feared the approaching monsoon even if he said they almost braved the cold living in the damaged house.
