The Dhulikhel Municipality has adopted a local approach to get things done for people at the local levels. Moreover, engaging people in development works will ensure ownership. This has encouraged the locals of Dhulikhel Municipality to engage in development efforts.

Mukesh Pokhrel : Centre for Investigative Journalism-Nepal

Devaki Khatri of Dhulikhel-8 showed her generosity by providing a tractor of firewood for free as a gesture of support while blacktopping the Bhattedanda-Lamidada stretch of the road. Likewise, Lek Bahadur Raut of Batase, Dhulikhel-10 offered his helping hands to drench the concrete construction at the Majhpipalbot area of the BP Highway on a daily basis. Krishna Murari Parajuli, a tractor owner, too, joined the enthusiastic team of volunteers by offering his tractor to transport necessary materials to construct the road.

Locals performing rituals prior to black topping

Among the several volunteers, Khatri, Raut and Parajuli are mere examples of altruism in development projects like construction of roads, parks, drinking water, and other works, in Dhulikhel. “We volunteered to develop our area. We, in fact, acquiesced to the municipality’s call to ensure people’s participation in its development endeavors,” Devaki says.

Ownership

The locals have been enthusiastically lending their helping hands with the feeling of ownership after the Dhulikhel Municipality encouraged their participation and entrusted them in development works. This has helped in expediting the development works in the area. “We would be more than ignorant had the municipality entrusted this development work to a contractor company,” opines Lek Bahadur Raut of Dhulikhel-10. He adds, “We felt energized when we were given the responsibility and ownership.”

According to the municipality, it completed around 247 projects ranging from Rs. 100,000 to 10 million through consumer committees in the fiscal year 2074-75 BS. Chairperson of the BP Highway Sharada-Batase Consumers’ Road Construction Committee, Dhruba Bahadur Thapa said that locals near the highway extended their unwavering support to construct the road. Thapa informed that consumer committees were actively involved in the construction of four various sections of the BP Highway Namo Buddha road through Sharad-Batase.

Chairperson of consumer committee working in construction of Manedanda road

Locals of the respective wards joined their hands with the municipality’s decision to entrust the development works through consumers’ committees. “We bought necessary materials voluntarily and hired workers on a daily basis,” Thapa said, adding, “We asked for quotations to ensure quality materials in low prices after consulting with all stakeholders. Consultations were, in fact, necessary to avoid financial misunderstandings and irregularities.”

Ram Lama, Chairperson of Bhattedanda-Kaverbhanjyang Road Construction Consumer’s Committee says, “The spontaneous support from the locals has been worth praising and invigorating. One of the reasons for the unprompted participation of the locals is the financial transparency that we have maintained.” According to Lama, the Dhulikhel Municipality had allocated Rs. 8.1 million to widen and black-top the 350-meter-road stretch from Bhattedanda to Kavrebhanjyang. However, 900-meter of the road has been blacktopped while an additional three kilometers have been widened without spending any extra money from the allocated amount merely because of public participation.

Likewise, locals’ voluntary participation to construct the Kutal-Rabiwopi-Devitar road has been exemplary. The active participation of locals to construct the road show that they have gradually felt the ownership of development projects. Even though the municipality had allocated Rs. 52 lakhs to construct two-kilometer road, locals constructed the drains alongside the road voluntarily. “Locals offered their service. Hence we could complete the work within the stipulated timeframe,” said Badri Prasad Badal, Chairperson of the Consumers’ Committee.

Saraswati park about to be built in Dhulikhel Market

Meanwhile, the consumer committee office bearers say they received several threat calls from contractors alleging them of accomplishing work exceeding the municipality estimates. Ram Lama, Chairperson of Bhattedanda-Kaverbhanjyang Road Construction Consumer’s Committee said he too received threat calls from contractors for expediting the development works. Badri Prasad Badal and Dhruba Thapa share the same story. “Some contractors threatened us of dire consequences for completing the project within the stipulated timeframe,” Badal complains.

This spontaneous participation of villagers has raised hopes among the villages towards local governments at a time when the federal government and metropolitans have been doing their works at a snail’s pace. “We have at least a place where we can express our grudges and problems,” says Laxmi Khatri of Dhulikhel-8.

‘Defamed’

The concept of people’s participation in development projects has been introduced to give a sense of ownership to the people at the local level. Former Chief Secretary Dr. Bimal Koirala terms this concept as a sustainable means for long-term development since people get a sense of responsibility and ownership. “Community forest and community drinking water are the successful examples of public participation,” Koirala says. He, however, said that the concept of people’s participation has been defamed owing to the political leadership’s intervention and political instability by making them adopt monopolistic approach and corrupt in the last one-and-a-half-decade. Office bearers of such committees are constantly under suspicion due to their political inclination. One of the major reasons behind the committees’ defamation is because they give away contract by winning the bid. Even now, there are instances of these committees giving away development projects to contractors. Former Chief Secretary Koirala smells rat on such dealings. “People should be involved in all development works. Weaknesses have to be corrected gradually,” he suggests.

A part of Bhattedanda Manebhanjyang road blacktopped

For instance, South Korea and China prioritized people’s participation in the development works at the local levels after 1960s. According to Nabaraj Pant, a professor at a South Korean University, South Korea involved its local groups in development works by providing them cement and iron rods free of cost during the 70s. “South Korea adopted the strategy to ensure people’s participation and ownership in the country’s development,” he said. Later, China, too, followed the Korean model of development.

Mayor of Dhulikhel Municipality, Ashok Byanju justified the concept of people’s participation to ensure sustainable development. Merely giving away contract to companies would only end in hoodwink, according to him. “The active participation of locals has given a tremendous result. We will move ahead in this model by correcting our mistakes,” he says.