1742 houses built for the poor

Baniyani . A total of 1,742 houses have been constructed in Jhapa under the Safe Housing Programme in the last seven years.

These houses were built in eight different local levels of the district under joint partnership of the concerned local level, Habitat for Humanity International Nepal and Sahara Nepal.

Safe houses are constructed for families with low income based on a tripartite partnership, said Safe Housing Program Coordinator of Sahara Nepal, Bhim Prasad Bhetwal.

A total of 2,998 houses have been built in Jhapa and Morang, including 725 temporary shelters for those displaced by the floods in 2074 BS. Based on the recommendations of the concerned wards the names of the beneficiaries are selected after monitoring by a joint team of Habitat, Sahara Nepal and the local level.

In the case of those who have land houses are built on their and while in the case of those who do not have land houses are built only after the local level determines the land and provides landownership certificate to them.

The cost price per house ranges from Rs 185,000 to Rs 623,000 (excluding voluntary labour). The houses have two rooms with a balcony and a kitchen house and toilet, said Raju Giri of Sahara Nepal. In Jhapa district, the highest number of houses was built in Jhapa Rural Municipality with 850 houses.

Likewise, 32 were built in Haldibari Rural Municipality, 514 in Birtamod Municipality, 54 in Arjundhara Municipality, 86 in Gauriganj Rural Municipality, 15 in Bhadrapur Municipality, 33 in Bahradashi Rural Municipality and 158 in Kankai Municipality, according to Sahara Nepal.

In Morang district, 101 houses have been constructed in Belbari Municipality, 39 in Dhanpalthan Rural Municipality and 55 in Kanepokhari Rural Municipality while 28 houses are under construction.