Quake-victims seek interest-free loans

ILAM, Sept 23: People affected by Sunday´s quake have demanded that the government arrange interest-free loans to help them rebuild damaged houses. Most of the affected families say they are not in a position to rebuild their houses on their own.



Tara Diyali of Barbote-3 said it is difficult for him to rebuild his house as he lacks a stable source of income. [break]



“We had to rebuild our house after the 1988 quake. This time too, we will have to do the same,” he said.



Similarly, Shanta Kumari Thebe of Jamuna-4 said she is not in a position to rebuild her house without assistance. “My husband, who was working in Saudi Arabia, died there six months ago,” she said. “Now, my house is gone.”



The detail of destruction in the district is being collected by VDC secretaries. Though final figures have not arrived, Nepal Red Cross Society (NRCS) estimates some 500 houses have either been destroyed or damaged in the district.





In Ilam, most of the houses damaged by the quake are located atop hills.

“Only the poor have weak houses. My house was weak, so it is gone,” said Khushman Diyali of Jamuna-8. His 10-member family is struggling for shelter these days.



The District Natural Disaster Relief Committee and NRCS have sent many teams to the villages for relief distribution. But some of the quake-affected are livid about the delay in arrival of relief supplies.

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