KATHMANDU:
Nepal on Wednesday sacked the
chief of its earthquake
reconstruction body, a move seen by critics as politically motivated and likely to further delay rebuilding following the April 2015 disaster.
Sushil Gyewali was appointed head of the National
reconstruction Authority (NRA) a year ago after months of political wrangling over who should lead the agency.
The NRA is tasked with spending the $4.1 billion pledged by international do**rs to help the impoverished Himalayan nation rebuild following the
quake that killed more than 9,000 people and destroyed half a million homes.
But a change in government in August saw Gyewali’s political backers, the CPN-UML party, shift to the opposition bench and a new coalition of the main Maoist party and Nepali Congress take power.
The new government has since been agitating to remove Gyewali, repeatedly questioning his effectiveness and accusing him of missing deadlines.
“He (Gyewali) has been discharged,” Information Minister Surendra Karki told AFP.
“The clarifications he gave in response to the government’s concerns regarding
reconstruction were **t satisfactory. He passed the blame on other agencies rather than accepting responsibilities.”
Reconstruction following the earthquake has been sluggish -- but critics say that removing Gyewali is unlikely to speed up the process. “This is a politically motivated move.
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