Nalgad ward offices collect money from quake victims

By Our Correspondent,Jajarkot Mar. 27: The ward offices of Nalgad Ward Nos. 3 and 7 in Jajarkot have started collecting Rs. 1,000 and Rs. 500 respectively from the earthquake victims as financial support to buy land for health posts and construction of school infrastructure.

After Nalgad Municipality-3 began collecting money from the earthquake victims, people started showing dissatisfaction over the issue. The earthquake victims became upset when the ward office began collecting Rs. 1,000 per person before handing over the second tranche of the grant for the construction of temporary housing.

However, the ward chairman started collecting the money from the victims. To get the second instalment amount, the locals are forced to get the receipt of Rs. 1,000 deducted from the relief amount provided by the federal government.

Similarly, Ward No. 7 of Nalgad has been collecting Rs. 500 from the earthquake victims. Even though the government has not made a rule that the people who were left homeless due to the earthquake should pay tax in the amount given for the construction of temporary housing.

Chhabi Panta, leader of the Nepali Congress, said that instead of building houses for the homeless, the local government is collecting money given by the federal government.

So far, it has been found that 38 locals who have collected their second installment amount have been forced to get a receipt of Rs. 1,000. Nepali Congress and CPN-UML issued a joint statement and protested the ward office’s decision. 

According to Kaushi Bahadur Bista, the ward chairman of Nalgad Municipality-3, since the land for the health post was not enough, he said that the people’s help was taken to purchase the land and construct the building. As the municipality lacks health and school facilities and proper land for them, the office is forced to seek financial support from the public, said Bista. 

Mayor Dambar Bahadur Rawat of Nalgad Municipality said that he was not aware of the ward offices collecting the amount. 

He said that the people should get the amount given by the government for the temporary housing of the earthquake victims. The federal government had provided Rs. 25,000 each for the construction of temporary housings as the first tranche and Rs. 25,000 as the second tranche.