NRA to build model houses in every ward

Kathmandu, Aug 30: The National Reconstruction Authority (NRA) Tuesday informed that it was planning to build a model house in every ward of the quake-damaged villages and municipalities.

"Models houses will be constructed in the course of training to produce the skilled manpower required for the reconstruction works," said NRA chief executive officer Sushil Gyawali while speaking at the meeting of the Development Committee of the Legislature Parliament.

The trainees of masonry, carpentry and other skilled based training will build the model houses, he said.

"People are confused about the design of houses with the acute shortage of skilled manpower. They will have an idea about constructing the quake-resistant houses and construction method following the construction of model houses,” Gyawali said.

Secretary at the Ministry of Urban Development Deependra Nath Sharma stated that the government had upskilled about 8,000 construction workers so far.

“But we have been organizing training for one week which is for the skilled or semi skilled manpower where we trained them about the quake-resistant construction method. Such training needs to be organized for 3 months if it is for the fresh candidates,” said Sharma.

According to a rough estimate, the reconstruction process might need more than 1.5 million construction workers based on an assumption that three workers are required to build one house.  

As per the NRA data, house reconstruction grant agreement was signed with 3,94,915 households by Tuesday and the first installment of the grant, Rs. 50,000, had been deposited the bank account of approximately 200,472 families.

Meanwhile, the government has decided to provide the first installment of the grant to all households of 11 severely-hit districts and the Kathmandu Valley within a month.

Therefore, about 500,000 families will receive Rs. 50,000 each by 18^th September.

As the monsoon is going to be over, hundreds of families are ready to get going to construct new houses and retrofit or repair damaged houses, a large number of manpower and construction materials will be required.

Lawmakers expressed their serious concerns over the possible shortage and black marketing of the construction materials.

Some of them, including the chairman of the Committee, Rabindra Adhikari, suggested creating ‘construction materials banks’, as in Gujrat in the aftermath of devastating earthquake in 2001, to keep the price of construction material under control.

Meanwhile, the Development Committee directed the government, Ministry of Federal Affairs and Local Development, Ministry of Urban Development, Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers, Ministry of Supplies, Ministry of Home Affairs and NRA to make the estimates of required construction materials, expedite the works to develop the model villages and to prepare strategy to establish the construction material banks.

It also asked the government to address the demands of the engineers and other manpower mobilized in the quake hit areas as the NRA and ministries were facing difficulties to retain the workforce.

“Due to poor facilities, skilled manpower is not motivated to go to the remote areas, therefore the government should respond to the demands of the NRA,” said Adhikari.