NRA chief emphasizes traditional reconstruction of Bungmati settlement

LALITPUR, Oct 8: Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the National Reconstruction Authority (NRA), Sushil Gyawali, has said that the authority has brought programs focusing on the traditional reconstruction of heritages such as the Bugmati settlement.

Addressing the first annual general convention of the Bugmati Area Reconstruction and Development Council (BARDC) on Saturday, NRA chief Gyawali said that the authority has decided that an additional Rs 50,000 will be provided per household if they reconstruct their houses in the traditional way. He also said that the authority is ready to assist the house owners in the reconstruction.

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Citing the fact that he had brought the then Prime Minister KP Oli to a field visit of the settlement and briefed him on the master plan of the reconstruction, Gyawali also expressed his desire to invite the prime minister to inaugurate the settlement after the reconstruction as per the master plan.

Emphasizing the importance of the traditional settlement, Gyawali said, “If the settlement is reconstructed so as to give it a traditional look, the settlement can be a major tourist destination for both domestic and foreign tourists. Then, tourism can be the source of livelihood for the locals.”

Member of Parliament form the area, Pampha Bhusal said that a ring road should be constructed encompassing all the tourist destinations in the valley including Bungmati. “The prosperity of the area can only be possible through art, culture and heritage conservation,” she said.

In the function, member of Provincial Assembly of Province 3, Jeevan Khadka, said that the locals too should put their efforts in order to make the master plan successful.

According to chief of BARDC, Prem Bhakta Maharjan, 805 people have reached an agreement with NRA for the reconstruction of their private houses. He added that 593 of them have already received the first installment of the private housing reconstruction grant while the number of beneficiaries of the grant who have received the second installment is very few.