By Our Correspondent
Banke, July 17: The government has formally handed over houses built for the homeless families of Banke and Bardiya districts. A total of 2,843 such families have received permanent houses under the people’s housing programme (Janata Awas Karyakram).
In all, 2,127 houses were constructed from the fiscal year 2016/17 to that of 2019/20. Out of that number, 1,101 houses were constructed in Banke while 1,027 in Bardiya.
According to the Urban Development and Building Office, Banke, 716 more houses were constructed in both the districts in the last fiscal.
Chief Engineer of the office Ram Ashray Shah said that the programme was launched in fiscal year 2016/17 and that in the initial phase, the programme was run under the federal government and later under the provincial government from 2018/19.
Chief Shah added that against all the odds, the programme was successful as they sincerely worked day and night even in the midst of the pandemic.
Shah added that the Urban Development and Building Office Banke had been looking after the programme now.
“In the fiscal year 2016/17, a total of 1,936 would-be beneficiaries had signed an agreement to build houses in Banke and Bardiya,” he said, adding, “However, only 1,107 houses were constructed in the 2019/20 fiscal year, including 444 in Banke and 663 in Bardiya.”
According to Shah, progress of the programme has improved in the two districts this year.
Shah said the office had aimed to sign house construction agreements with 207 more would-be beneficiaries in the last fiscal year and construct a total of 805 houses but only 716 houses were constructed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Chief Shah added that against all the odds, the programme was successful as they sincerely worked day and night even in the midst of the pandemic.
“Despite our efforts, 89 houses are still left to be constructed,” he said.
The elated beneficiaries getting the newly built houses under the programme shared that their dreams of owning a house have now come true.
Expressing their gratitude to the government, they said if the government hadn’t initiated the programme, they could have never built such a descent house.
The beneficiaries who were formerly living in thatch-roofed houses are now happily living in a safe house with a concrete wall.