Landslide-displaced families get safe land to build houses

By Dhyan Kulung, Sankhuwasabha, Aug. 26: Fifty-five displaced families from the landslide-hit area of Sisuwakhola in Silichong Rural Municipality-1, in Sankhuwasabha, have received land plots in safer locations to construct their houses.

Two years after being displaced by a landslide, the families have received free land plots in Khandbari Municipality-7.   

Out of the 92 displaced families, 55 have been brought to Khandbari Municipality, the district headquarters.

The remaining 37 families have been rehabilitated in Chitre and Bakhaltum of Silichong-1.

Those who were displaced by the massive landslide that hit the region on July 11, 2020, were relocated to the place of their choice, of which 55 chose Khandbari.

Four people were killed and 11 houses were swept away by the landslide. Those displaced were temporarily relocated in nearby Chitre and Sisuwatar Budhabarey.

A land management committee was formed under the coordination of the deputy mayor of Khandbari Municipality to search the land for relocation. 

Though the number of families willing to get relocated in Khandbari was more, the committee distributed the land to only 55 families on Wednesday through lottery.

The location is about a 30-minute walk from the office of Khandbari Municipality. The price of the land with an area of 35, 345.65 square meters was fixed at Rs.13 million.

Chairman of the District Disaster Management Committee and Chief District Officer Noorhari Khatiwada informed that a land ownership certificate was prepared in a joint name of landslide victims.

Although the land is in the joint name, a separate plot has been provided for an individual family to build their house.

Khatiwada informed that the land covering an area of 13, 563.69 square meters has been allocated for the construction of houses and that the remaining farmland and forests would be distributed later.

He informed that the amount of Rs. 550, 000 would be provided to each family to construct the house.

Since the committee has already distributed land for the victims, construction is going to start soon, he added.

The landslide-affected families are being relocated according to the procedure related to rehabilitation of those displaced by landslides or affected by monsoon-related disasters, said Khatiwada.

As per the procedure, 60 percent of the fund is provided by the federal government, 30 percent by provincial government and the remaining 10 percent by the local government, he said.

He also informed that the Silichong Rural Municipality has already deposited 10 percent of the budget in the account of the district disaster management fund and that the remaining budget has been requested from both the federal and provincial governments.