Labourers of Rimna Bazaar in Jarjarkot fail to get relief to build temporary shelters

By Our Correspondent,Jajarkot, Apr. 26: Four families in Bheri Municipality-1 of Rimna Bazaar, who were living in a rented house for 20 years are languishing under tarpaulins after the Jajarkot earthquake destroyed the rented houses. 

They have still not received the first instalment of the funds for the construction of temporary housing.

They work as daily wage labourers to make ends meet.

Of them, three households of Bherikot Rural Municipality-1 and a family of Risang of Bheri Municipality-2 have been forced to live under tarpaulins after their rented houses were destroyed by the Jajarkot earthquake. 

After they failed to get the first instalment of Rs. 25,000 granted by the government for temporary housing About 50 families in Jajarkot are still living under tents. 

As the local government did not add their names to the list of beneficiaries, they are not only deprived of the first instalment but have also become homeless. 

The local government's failure to identify the real victims while collecting data on the houses destroyed by the earthquake made these 50 families devoid of the first tranche of funds for the construction of temporary houses.

The local government did not include the names of the Dalits, people with weak economic conditions in the list of earthquake victims, so they were deprived of getting the first instalment, said the victims. 

Manish Chalaune, who considers himself a permanent resident of Barekot village, is currently earning a living working as a daily wage labourer in Bheri Municipality-1 Rimna Bazaar. 

He said that because of the poor economic conditions and geographical hardship, it was very difficult for him to meet the needs of his family.

His family has been living under the tent after the earthquake destroyed their rented flat.

 "Although we are permanent residents of the district, we never had a home as we were always poor, and were living in a rented flat in Rimna Bazaar for 20 years, but that flat too was destroyed by the earthquake," said Chalaune. 

We were not considered permanent residents by the government, as we didn’t have a house of our own. 

So our names were not listed as the beneficiaries, he said   Chalaune said that they have, of late, been living under tents in the Shahid Park area lately.

Social worker Dilmaya Rana said that 50 beneficiaries of Rimna Bazaar were devoid of the first instalment. 

The problem arose after the ward left out the people from the list of beneficiaries.