The government on Tuesday directed three ministries--Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Federal Affairs and Local Development, and Ministry of Urban Development--to relocate settlements at risk of landslides in the earthquake-hit districts to safer locations within two weeks.

A cabinet meeting held at Baluwatar on Tuesday decided to direct the ministries to shift the settlements within 15 days.

On Monday, a cabinet meeting at Singha Durbar had made a similar decision but did not set a time frame for the task mentioning only "relocate risky settlements immediately."

"Yesterday's decision was taken in a hurry and we realized that just asking the ministries to relocate immediately without setting a time frame would not give momentum to the relocation process. So, a cabinet meeting was called again on Tuesday and we decided to fix a time frame for relocation," said Minister for General Administration Lal Babu Pandit. The cabinet meeting was held at Baluwatar Tuesday morning.

The cabinet, worried about the threat monsoon posed to the earthquake-hit areas, decided to speed up the task of moving locals to safer places.

He informed that there are around 50,000 households in 15 earthquake-hit districts that are prone to landslides.

"The cabinet has decided that the district disaster relief committees can themselves identify and relocate risky settlements if they felt it necessary. They do not have to wait for approval from the central level," said Minister Pandit.

Officials at Ministry of Urban Development informed that around 200 risky settlements in Kathmandu, Lalitpur, Dhading, Dolakha, Gorkha, Kavre, Lamjung, Nuwakot, Okhaldhunga, Rasuwa, Sindhuli, Sindhupalchowk, Solukhumbhu, Ramechhap and Makwanpur will be relocated to safer locations temporarily.

A committee led by the three ministries will coordinate with the district disaster relief committees in respective districts to shift risky settlements to safer locations for the time being until the government comes up with a plan for permanent relocation of such settlements.

Published on: 1 July 2015 | Republica