UDHB had proposed to construct houses and toilets for 73 Raute families in Jogbuda and Sirsha VDCs in July of 2011, but the scheme has still not had any positive impact. [break]Locals had also lent a hand in the project.
According to Suresh Raute, a local man, house foundations have been laid, surveys and land markings have been completed, and boulders required for the construction have been gathered at the site, but there has been no further progress in months.
“The scarcity of timber has delayed the construction of our houses for a long time,” he said.
The scarcity of timber hit the district following the Chure timber smuggling scam in January. The authorities have forbidden the felling and sale of trees in the district for the past 10 months.
“Besides being unable to posses a house, we have been gradually drowning in debt,” said Pasupati Raute. “Don´t know how we´ll pay for the labor that has been put in so far,” he added.
The local administration informed that the authorities concerned are already looking for a new management system to resolve the problem.
“We are working to bring in alternative solutions to this timber scarcity problem,” said Assistant Chief District Officer Dil Bahadur Bohora.
UBHB had estimated a total cost of Rs 177,000 for timber for the construction of the houses and toilets.
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