Kathmandu, August 18
Hundreds of families displaced by floods and landslides in various districts of the country last week have been spending their monsoon nights in the open. On the other hand, there are dozens of corrugated zinc sheets gathering dust and rusting at the godown of Nepal Transit and Warehousing Company Limited in Birgunj of Parsa district.
Two years ago, the government had purchased 50,000 bundles of zinc sheets to distribute among earthquake-surviving families.
But, the red tape delayed the distribution and the roofing materials got stored at the godown. The Salt Trading Corporation had purchased the sheets with Rs 260 million.
Besides, there are 5,000 tents and tarpaulins stored at the Kathmandu godown of STC. They were also brought for earthquake survivors, but underwent through the same fate.
“We requested the Ministry of Finance through the Ministry of Supplies to facilitate the distribution,” STC Assistant General Manager Kumar Rajbhandari says, “But, no initiative has been taken yet.”
After a lot of hullabaloo, the government had allowed the STC to sell the zinc sheets, but the Corporation could not sell it at a price that would compensate for the interest it has to pay to various banks as well as the warehouse charge.
“Allowing the sale is not enough as we cannot sell them at a competitive market rate,” says Rajbhandari.
The STC had borrowed loan from private banks for the purchase, for which it has to pay Rs 60 million interest. Likewise, it has to pay Rs 500,000 as the rent to the Transit and Warehousing Company Limited.
The STC has requested the government to waive the interest and rent, but the government has not given any response yet.
