Speaking at a function held at NRA's office at Singha Durbar on Tuesday, CEO Gyewali said it will take some more time for the authority to begin reconstruction and rehabilitation work in the districts ravaged by the April and May earthquakes as the body is yet to recruit staff and formulate the necessary regulations in accordance with the relevent bill endorsed by parliament last week.
“Earthquake victims might have thought that the task of reconstruction would begin immediately after my appointment and that they would no longer have to live in temporary shelters in the freezing weather. But many legal and administrative tasks need to be done. So, I want to make it clear that it will take some time for the authority to begin its task in full-fledged fashion,” said Gyewali.
He said that he himself and a secretary are the only two staffers at the authority right now. “We are also yet to figure out what kind of organizational structure will be best for the authority to execute its plans and policies effectively at the local level. Similarly, a standing committee, a directives committee and an advisory council also need to be given full shape at NRA ,” he said.
He hinted that it will take over a month for the authority to complete all the necessary preparatory work before it starts on the reconstruction of quake-ravaged infrastructure and carries out rehabilitation work in the 14 most-affected and other affected districts.
“The Office of the Prime Minister needs to formulate directives and seven working procedures in accordance with the enabling Act. Likewise, the authority itself also needs to formulate various guidelines and implementation plans,” he said.
He, however, added that the authority will not remain quite, saying various administrative and legal work needed to be done first. “I want to assure all the victims that we are really concerned. We are doing all we can to complete the necessary tasks to make the authority fully functional. Once these get completed, reconstruction and rehabilitation work will be carried out on a war-footing,” he added.
At the function, Vice-Chairman of the National Planning Commission (NPC) Yubaraj Khatiwada handed over all the documents related to earthquake reconstruction and rehabilitation to CEO Gyewali. The government had handed over responsibility for overseeing the reconstruction and rehabilitation work to the NPC untill such time as the reconstruction authority was formed.
NPC has already approved various plans and programs related to reconstruction and rehabilitation as proposed by various ministries and these will involve almost two-thirds of the Rs 74 billion budget allocation approved by the government for the reconstruction and rehabilitation.
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