New homes for Laprak quake victims by July

Gorkha, Oct. 11: The Non-Resident Nepali Association (NRNA) has said that it would complete the construction of houses at Laprak and hand them over to the owners by the end of the current fiscal year 2017/18.

NRNA president Shesh Ghale announced this during an observation trip to the site.

Ghale, along with the Chief Executive Officer of the National Reconstruction Authority (NRA) Dr. Govinda Pokharel and Lieutenant General of the Nepal Army Baldev Raj Mahat and other high officials of the government and the NRNA, visited Laprak to observe the construction work.

“The delegation was briefed about the progress at the site and a commitment was made to hand over the houses to the owners by July 15 next year,” Chief District Officer Jitendtra Basnet said upon his arrival in Gorkha Bazaar from Laprak.

Ghale and NRNA International Coordination Committee member Jamuna Ghale informed Dr. Pokharel, Mahat, Basnet, founder president of the NRNA Upendra Mahato and Australian Ambassador to Nepal Peter Budd about the house construction process, challenges faced during the project and their future plans.

According to Basnet, two house models were built in the village while construction of about 301 houses has been completed till the DPC level.

The NRNA is constructing 573 houses for the families who lost their domicile in the devastating earthquake of April 2015.

Nepal Army personnel and other skilled and semi-skilled workers are constructing the houses.

Ghale gave assurances that the construction works wouldn’t be affected even if the leadership of the NRNA changed after its eighth International Conference slated for October 14-17.

The NRNA has said it would develop Gupsipakha, Laprak as a model village and tourist destination in the country at a cost of Rs. 1 billion.

Rs. 700 million will be spent on house construction while the rest will be used in the development of monasteries, museums and other infrastructure.

Mahat said that the Nepal Army would provide support to the project until all the construction works were completed.