The first day of grant assistance distribution to victims in Singati of Dolakha district whose houses were destroyed in last year's devastating earthquake was marred after local political leaders objected strongly to the distribution-related guidelines set out by the National Reconstruction Authority (NRA). NRA could reach an agreement for a first instalment grant with just one earthquake victim on Sunday as local leaders did not allow the grant distribution to go ahead, arguing that NRA is only promoting local NGOs and did not consult the locals prior to the distribution. As local leaders from Dr Baburam Bhattarai's New Force Nepal, the UCPN (Maoist) and other political parties obstructed the distribution process throughout the day, only Jagat Bahadur Khatri of Laduk VDC-8 could reach a grant agreement with NRA. Dozens of quake victims had reached the village development committee office for the purpose. "Local leaders obstructed the distribution process as NRA has made it mandatory to produce a land ownership certificate to be eligible for the grant. Many squatters and hundreds of locals living on Guthi land do not have land certificates although they also are victims of the earthquake," Devi Khadka, former UCPN (Maoist) lawmaker from Dolakha district, said to Republica. She said the guidelines should be clear on how to provide the grant assistance amount of Rs 200,000 each to locals who do not have land ownership certificates but are victims of the quake. In order to be eligible for the grant assistance, the victims must mandatorily produce their citizenship certificates and land ownership certificates. NRA had planned to begin the grant distribution in two VDCs of the district--Laduk and Lamidada--on Sunday. But this was foiled by the obstruction from local leaders. Chief Executive Officer of NRA, Sushil Gyewali, had reached Dolakha on Saturday to formally inaugurate the distribution. Suresh Adhikari, the spokesperson of NRA, said local leaders obstructed the grant distribution, arguing that NRA should distribute the grant amount to victims on the basis of their earthquake victim identity cards issued by the government for relief right after the disaster, instead of on the basis of the damage assessment survey carried out by the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS). After CEO Gyewali reached a written agreement with the local leaders to review the working style and incorporate victims who do not have land ownership certificates in some way, the local leaders have agreed to allow the local level bodies to begin the distribution from Monday. NRA plans to distribute the grant assistance to 5,300 quake victim families in Singati area in the first phase.