Chinaghat Road

In between our district offices in Gorkha and Dhading lies the Chinaghat Road. This project has received significant attention from our local monitors over the last several years. After disaster struck when the rope snapped on the pulley mechanism that transported a basket over the river, killing the five people who were in the basket at that time, the community began to lobby the government for a safer method of crossing the river so that the local community could transport their crops to the local market. This is a largely agricultural area where crop farming occurs on an industrial scale, with some of the most fertile lands in the district, and transportation of these crops to market is critical for the economic survival of the local community.

After pressuring the council, a new and much more robust bridge has been built. The Chinaghat Road now consists of two sturdy bridges across the river, with a road in between wide enough for a vehicle to pass. Before the construction began, the road was merely a narrow footpath along the hillside, making it very difficult for crops to be transported. The people in this area are very pleased that the road and bridge have been improved.

After the course of the road was modified during building, one section of the road has become impassable due to the soft sandy nature of the ground in this area. Our monitors pressured the council not to modify the plans, but due to the expense created by having to build small bridges over the streams that run down the hillside, their concerns were ignored and the course of the road was changed. Now the monitors are lobbying to have the original plans restored, so that the road will be structurally sound from start to finish.

Projects in Pyuthan

 

Pyuthan is the newest addition to the CAHURSAT network, and we are currently working hard to establish ourselves in this region. By using the team building techniques that have proven to be successful in both Dhading and Gorkha, we have recruited new community project monitors, Embryo Level Mechanism members, scholarship monitors and help desk staff to help us educate the community and build transparency, accountability and good governance practices in the district.

Community Building, Gorkha

 

Since 2069, our Monitors in Gorkha have been monitoring the construction of Community Building in the region. Community groups of all kinds are using the building for meetings and social gatherings, making it a social hub for the local community. The project first began when a plot of land was kindly donated, next to the previous community building which was small and in a poor state of repair. With a grant from the Gorkha Municipal Council and a generous contribution of both money, time and labour from the local community members, this Community Building has been constructed. We now have a three storey building, meaning that different community groups can be using the building at the same time.

CAHURAST Monitors have supported the construction of the Community Building, ensuring that the budget has been fairly and appropriately distributed throughout the duration of the project. The participation of the community in the construction means that a contractor was not required; a common source of budget mismanagement in Nepal. All of the decision making regarding budget allocation has been done in a democratic fashion. Because of this careful monitoring, we are confident that no corruption has occurred in the construction of this building. Now we are waiting for the next fiscal year and the allocation of the new budget so that we can finish the building with plastered walls, windows and latrines on every floor.

Training Community Monitors

Training community monitors in our headquarters in Kathmandu

Women’s Safe House, Dhading

The construction of this Safe House for women who have been abused or abandoned by their families began in the fiscal year of 2068/69 but had since been abandoned due to inadequate funds, even though the money allocated for this project should have been sufficient to complete it. After CAHURAST heard of this situation, we decided to monitor the development of this project, which will become a valuable asset to the community once it is completed.

Before our monitoring begun, the building was merely a shell. Since the monitoring process, the electrical cabling for lighting and power sockets has been installed and the walls on the interior have been plastered. We are now waiting for the next budget allocation so that the building can be completed, and we are ready to monitor this process to ensure the money is not leaked, leaving the building unfinished for yet another year.

CAHURAST

Welcome to the CAHURAST webpage. We are a human rights organisation based in Kathmandu, Nepal. We are working towards improving human rights, good governance and social transformation across the country.