Budget for housing programmes frozen in Jumla

By Our Correspondent, Jumla, Sept. 16:The budget allocated to the People’s Housing Programme and Poor People’s Housing in Jumla district’s provincial constituency (B) has frozen as the required meeting could not be called.

As per the Infrastructure Development Office, Jumla, about Rs. 16 million was allocated for the People’s Housing Programme and Poor People’s Housing in the provincial constituencies (A) and (B) of Jumla. Tek Raj Pachhai, the Provincial Assembly member elected from constituency (B), was the coordinator of this programme in the fiscal year 2022-23.

As per Hari Oli, Chief of the Infrastructure Development Office, Jumla, of the budget allocated, the work could not make any progress in Provincial Assembly constituency (B), but the work progressed in Province Assembly constituency (A) from where Devendra Bahadur Shahi was elected to the Provincial Assembly. There was a plan to spend a budget of Rs. 8 million each in the constituencies (A) and (B).

Likewise, Rs.1 million was allocated for the Agriculture Development Programme and Rs. 1 million for the Veterinary Hospital and Livestock Service Centre. But the budget for these progarmmes also froze for failing to hold meeting.  

Gyanendra Singh Budthapa, the Chief of the Veterinary Hospital and Livestock Service Centre, Jumla, said that Rs. 1 million was allotted initially for the beneficiaries, but after the government curtailed 20 per cent of the fund, Rs. 800,000 was left for each programme. Agriculture and veterinary programmes were fully executed in constituency (A) but it was not implemented in constituency (B).

Likewise, Rs. 1 million dispensed to the District Agriculture Development Office, Jumla, has frozen in constituency (B). According to Ganesh Bahadur Sahi, the chief of the Agriculture Development Office, the same programme was, however, executed in the Province Assembly constituency (A).

When inquired about the frozen budget of the programmes, Pachhai said that previous programmes were not prioritised this time around, because they proved fruitless.

Many of the houses damaged by the landslides are yet to be rebuilt in Jumla constituency (B). According to the District Administrative Office, Jumla, 1,400 houses were destroyed, most of them in the Sinja valley, by the landslides.