Lawmakers of the earthquake-hit districts have strongly criticized the government's decision to declare only three districts in the Valley as "crisis zone" for a year.

The lawmakers have accused the government of trying to centralize all its resources by declaring the Valley as "crisis zone" even when hundreds of settlements in hill districts are at high risk of landslides following the earthquake and need immediate relocation.

Speaking at an interaction on reconstruction and rehabilitation organized by the Ministry of Urban Development (MoUD) on Monday, lawmakers from Sindulpalchowk, Dolakha, Dhading, Gorkha, Nuwakot, Kavrepalanchok, Rasuwa, Sindhuli and Okhaldhunga, among other quake-hit districts, said the task of relocating the landslide-threatened settlements and reconstruction might take a long time.

"Damaged buildings need to be immediately demolished in the Valley. But relocating settlements at risk of landslides is more urgent as monsoon has arrived. Not including other quake-hit hill districts in the crisis zone indicates that the government has not taken the threat in other districts seriously," said Agni Sapkota, a lawmaker from Sindhupalchowk district.

He said at least 35 villages in his district are at high risk of landslides and need to be relocated to a safer place immediately. "Locals in the villages have been living in constant terror of possible landslides. The government should take immediate steps to relocate them," added he.

Chin Kaji Shrestha, another lawmaker from Gorkha district, said residents of around 12 villages in his constituency have already started moving to higher areas fearing landslides but nobody knows if the place they have shifted is safe. "The government should have focused on relocating risky settlements as floods and landslides are likely to cause massive damage during the monsoon," added he.

Guru Prasad Burlakoti, another lawmaker from Dhading district, said, around 5,500 households in the district are at high risk of landslides. "The teams mobilized to identify risky settlements in the hill districts have just reached areas accessible by road, but still no team has reached villages in the remote areas? The government should carry out a detailed geographical study of high-risk districts," added he.

Ananda Prasad Pokharel, a lawmaker from Dolakha district, said the government has asked lawmakers from affected districts to recommend safe places to relocate risky settlements. "We cannot make such an unscientific recommendation. What if landslides occur in the recommended areas and kill people? Who will be responsible then? So, the government should carry out a scientific study before risky settlements are relocated," added he.

Minister of Urban Development Narayan Khadka said lack of adequate information about risky settlements have crippled relocation work.

"Despite all this, we are working to identify risky settlements and take initiatives to relocate them," he said, adding, "Not including hill districts in the crisis list does not mean that the government will not respond to their problems." As of now, the government has identified only 43 settlements of six districts for relocation.

Published on: 16 June 2015 | Republica