MAHADEVESTHAN (KAVREPALANCHOK), Dec 18: Quake victims taking refuge at makeshift shelters in Kavrepalanchok district have been hit hard by the chilling weather with the temperature dipping down in the last few days.
"It is all right as long as the sun shines during the day. But living inside the tin hut is extremely difficult at night. It is too cold inside and the dew drops seep through the corrugated metal sheets soaking our bodies until the morning," Tika Devi Nepal, 75 of Biruwa, Mahadevesthan-3 of the district, complained.
All the people of Biruwa, Jitari Pokhari, Darimchaur, Kuwapani and Chaurabesi of Mahadevesthan-3 have been taking shelter in the temporary camp following the devastating earthquakes of April and May.
Almost all elderly people and children of the settlements have been affected by cold-related ailments like respiratory disease and common cold.
"Quake destroyed our home and the clothes got buried under the debris. We have been passing the long and cold nights by sharing the remaining clothes among the family members," complained Bhoj Prasad Nepal, 74 of Biruwa village. He complained that the quake victims are compelled to spend the night without proper sleep.
Moreover, the government's reluctance in giving permission to the organizations interested to support the quake victims have shattered their dreams of shifting to their own home. Most of the quake victims of Biruwa are busy making sheds from the raw materials of the demolished houses. They are worried about storing the recently-harvested foodstuffs and their livestock more than themselves.
"Had the government provided the amount it declared to provide to the quake victims, we could have made our home to save ourselves from the chilling cold," Krishna Prasad Nepal, a local teacher, said, adding," Now the relief amount has become a farfetched dream for us."
Quake victims of Ward No 3, 4, 5, 6 and 9 of Biruwa VDC, who have been severely affected by the chilling weather, complained that they are frustrated by the apathy of the concerned government agencies.
"Due to the cold-related ailments, our family members have been ailing. We are compelled to make other's home, instead of our own, "complained, Santa Bahadur Bisunkhe.
Locals in the district have demanded the relief amount, which the government had declared to give to the quake victims.
Winter relief for quake victims languishing in bank
The government had allocated Rs 500 million last Wednesday under which Rs 10,000 was meant for each of the earthquake-affected families so that they could keep warm in the winter. But the quake victims are still deprived of money. The District Administration Office (DAO) informed that the money is still in its bank account.
"The money has already been deposit in our account but the VDC secretaries and the executive officers of municipalities have still not come to receive the money," Bhim Pokhrel, accounts chief at the DAO, informed.
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