A year since the Gorkha earthquake

April 24, 2016: It has been a year that the mega Earthquake (epicenter Gorkha) on Baishak 12, 2072 shooked us, destroying peoples livelihood and infrastructures, that took lives of thousands of people and tens of thousands were injured. It was a massive disaster here in the central hilly regions of Nepal including 14 districts (From Gorkha to Sindhuli), destroying many heritage sites including Dharhara Tower (9 storey), Basantapur Temple. People were bound to live outside their homes for months due to the collapse of their homes or serious devastation or the fear from recurring aftershocks.

A year on since the earthquake, there has no major changes to the lives of those who are living in temporary shelters nor the reconstruction of the heritage sites has begun yet. New constitution has been promulgated, New government has been formed, but the misery of the people remains the same. We even have gone through the months long barricade in the border between Nepal and India, that seriously downgraded the already slowed economy and the daily lives were badly affected due to shortage of essential supplies. 

Even now, there is no concrete implementation way forward to make any better for the huge no of earthquake affected people. Blame the opportunistic politics for the benefit of ones and their circum around (be it their relatives or the political party itself), Blame the bureaucracy (permanent government) that cannot get rid of long procedural delays and unmanageable human resources, and even blame peoples indifference to the misery of the affected people that they could not adequately pressurize their government for immediate reconstruction.

I may not be hopeful for what will be done immediately but I definitely wish for a much better and prosperous Nepal, that i could possibly see in my life.

There is no any mere issue that make me feel proud of my Government. If none of them shall do it, I wonder what should we prefer: the system, the party or the leader. In democracy, we always choose the better among the worsts. Me await new election.

A brick shows that Dharhara was built in 1991 after the major Earthquake in 1990.