Feature: Quake victims still waiting for basic assistance from Nepal gov't

2015 will be remembered as one of the most important chapter in the history of Nepal as it promulgated a constitution drafted by people's representatives for the first time and the federal democratic republic nation elected the first female president, a new prime minister and the first female speaker of the country.

This same year witnessed the biggest tragedy in Nepalese history.

The April 25 earthquake killed nearly 9,000 people and left more than half a million homeless, leaving the country ravaged and its people in shock and dire straits.

The Nepalese people, who are always known as 'Bir Gorkhas' fought the devastating effects of the quake with patience, trying their best not to lose hope and maintain a positive attitude.

However six months on the quake victims have seemingly been forgotten by the state which is preoccupied with India's blockade and a fuel crisis.

Twenty-year-old Prabha Tamang, who is seven months pregnant, is one of the quake victims living in a temporary settlement area in Rasuwa, one of the worst-hit districts. She has been displaced from Haku village development committee, where more than 50 people had lost their lives.

"We have built a temporary shelter here using zinc sheets and plastic. It's too cold here as winter is coming. There are no mattresses to sleep on, no nutritious food to eat and not even a good hospital nearby," Tamang told Xinhua recently.

There are more than 100 temporary shelters in this area along the Pasang Lamhu Highway, which connects Kathmandu to the northern hilly district of Rasuwa's headquarter Dhunche.

Those who have been displaced have not started building permanent houses, due to a lack of promised financial assistance of Rs 200,000 (about 1,908.54 U.S. dollars) by the state. They are yet to prepare for the cold winter as they have no clothes, blankets, solar lamps or insulation materials.

Though the humanitarian organizations are planning to distribute the family winterization kits, exactly when they will reach the remote villages remains unknown.

"It is very depressing that the state is not taking responsibility for the suffering of its citizens. Excuses from the government regarding their reconstruction efforts prove that they are not sensitive towards the victims. Reconstruction should be a national priority," former chief secretary of Nepal government, Leela Mani Paudel, told Xinhua.

Earlier, the Nepalese government had formed a National Reconstruction Authority (NRA) to execute the reconstruction tasks but it failed to obtain legal status after the parliament failed to ratify a bill for its formation.

This parliamentary obstruction caused by the differences among major political parties has forced the quake victims to further suffer in the past six months.

Dr. Govinda Raj Pokharel, who was named the chief executive officer of the NRA by the government, told Xinhua, "If the political parties have willpower, the reconstruction task can be started within a week by resolving the legal barriers. I am ready to lead the rebuilding drive."

Due to the delay in reconstruction, the quake victims have started to feel vulnerable. They are living with limited food supplies distributed by a few international and local organizations. They survived the monsoon but are not sure whether they can survive the freezing winter.

John Augsburger, Oxfam humanitarian program director in Nepal, said in a press release, "The Nepal government must put recovery efforts back on track immediately. It must also urgently resolve the ongoing fuel crisis which is narrowing the window to reach communities before the cold winter sets in."

The aid agencies estimate that the temperatures dropping below zero in mountainous Nepal will adversely affect the victims, particularly the elderly, pregnant women and children.

Tamang, whose eight-member family is dependent upon her husband, said they don't have big demands. "We only need a safe shelter and healthy food." People from other

worst-hit districts like Sindhupalchowk, Gorkha, Dolakha and Dhading have similar hardships.

It is certain that the physical conditions of the quake victims will deteriorate if the Nepal government, which needs 6.7 billion U.S. dollars to restore all the quake-damaged structures, doesn't feel the need to act immediately by initiating the rebuilding tasks. Endit