All should join hands in development campaign, says Prachanda

Bharatpur, Jan. 8:

Former Prime Minister and chairman of the ruling Communist Party of Nepal (CPN) Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ has said that all should join their hands in development and reconstruction campaign.

“There are no ruling and opposition parties in development and construction,” he said while speaking at the two-day 'Orientation and Review Workshop' organised by the National Reconstruction Authority (NRA) in Chitwan on Tuesday.

He said that as the nation was in the development and reconstruction campaign, every citizen should extend their support in the national drive.

According to him, the top leaders of the ruling and opposition parties at a meeting held the other evening agreed to move ahead with understanding in national issues and such practice should also be followed by the district committees of the political parties.

“We must move together in the national development efforts. Therefore, the local representatives have a rare chance of grabbing an opportunity to fulfill their duties and take ownership of their work,” he said.

Prachanda said that there was no political bickering at the upper political level.

 “Don’t think that there is a contention at the central level. We have agreed to collaborate in national issues like development,” he said.

According to him, Nepali Congress president Sher Bahadur Deuba was present in the meeting.

The former PM expressed his commitment to taking the issues like the damage caused by the quake and the reconstruction grants in the Cabinet.

Participants of the programme said that there were problems in providing housing grant to the private houses which were built in public land and were damaged in the 2015 earthquake.

Chief Executive Officer of the NRA Sushil Gyawali said that possible solutions were there for those families,

According to him, such families can build their houses in the public land if they were living there for generations, or claim for additional Rs. 200,000 to buy land elsewhere.

"If the number of such families is more than 10, building integrated settlement by the reconstruction body in the land provided by the concerned local body will also be a solution," he added.

However, this issue is at the Cabinet and will come into effect after getting approval.

NRA Director Harihar Parajuli said that the two villages of Guchhiwang of Kalika Municipality and Koyerghari of Ichchhakamana Rural Municipality should be relocated to safer places.

But more than 1000 families do not own a piece of land which has created a challenge for the NRA to provide them shelter, he added.

Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 9 January 2019.