NRA launches mobile app 'Surakshit Ghar'

Kathmandu, May 9: The National Reconstruction Authority (NRA) Tuesday launched a mobile app ‘Surakshit Ghar’ – Safe House – to provide essential information regarding the reconstruction of houses to the quake-hit families.

NRA chief executive officer Dr. Govinda Raj Pokharel officially launched the app, which has been developed by Build Change, at a programme organised at Singha Durbar.

The app includes information about house design and construction of earthquake-resistant houses, safety measures, construction styles and process of obtaining government grant.

It has audio-visual materials and the NRA’s information to the people.

Audio-visual materials include message from the CEO of the NRA, process of receiving grants and other information, and advertisements and public service announcements on house reconstruction.

Information regarding the construction of quake-resistant house is presented with minute details, such as selecting the house construction location, design of house, wall, retrofitting, roof and construction materials.

The app has details of trained manpower such as masons and carpenters, and technicians mobilised in the field, including their address and contact number. 

Built for the Android-based smart phones, the ‘Surakshit Ghar’ app also works in offline mode.

“We hope that the app will be useful to all the households that are rebuilding their house or planning to build one,” said Dr. Pokharel.

Responding to the question of journalists, he said that the reconstruction body was planning to mobilise an additional 140 engineers in the quake-hit areas in order to address the shortage of technical manpower needed to verify the house construction for the second tranche of the grant.

“At present, about 500 families are receiving the second installment of the grant, Rs. 150,000, and the number will increase as the people’s representatives hold the rein of the local bodies,” he said.

He stated that the biggest challenge to the reconstruction drive was the shortage of manpower, and informed that as many as 10,000 individuals were receiving training of various skills.

‘Maintain open spaces’

The NRA has directed the respective ministries to arrange and manage open spaces in the Kathmandu Valley as a precaution to future natural calamities.

According to a press statement issued by the NRA, the reconstruction body has directed the ministries not to sell or lease out public or government land to the private, government and non-government sectors.

The government had identified 68 places as open spaces in the Valley – 30 in Kathmandu, 19 in Lalitpur and 19 in Bhaktapur district, and declared them spaces for effective humanitarian support, proper security, coordination and response.

“According to the decision of the government on May 8, 2012, without prior permission of the Ministry of Home Affairs, no physical structure can be built on open spaces,” read the statement issued by the NRA.

Lack of enough open spaces had hampered the rescue and relief efforts during the 2015 earthquake.