Enabling Environment for Road Expansion Ensured: Thanks to the CMC
August 08, 2017
Road user’s group at Itahara VDC (currently Ratuwamai MC) of Morang district had a plan to expanding the existing 18 ft road to 30 ft covering personal lands whereas the community people were reluctant to provide the additional land. This situation triggered dispute between the users’ group and the local community thereby obstructing the construction of road. Despite the group’s effort to settle their dispute for creating enabling environment for the construction, no headway was made. Unresolved, Toya Pokharel, one of the community members whose land could be used for the expansion, proposed to take the case to Itahara CMC, a centre established as supported by CeLRRd. Accordingly, on 8th March, 2017, the case was registered at Itahara based CMC.
On 10th March, three community mediators visited the field and facilitated discussion in the field itself in the presence of both parties. During the discussion, 45 years’ old Toya Pokharel, put his stand that his land was precious so he wouldn’t provide his land for the construction of road. On the other hand, Yam Adhikari, Chairperson of User Group put his stand that widened road will be beneficial to all and as for the local development everyone at any cost had to provide their land. Mediators then called the surveyor from the district survey authority to measure the land. In measuring, it was found out that he had to provide less than expected area of land in the course of expanding up to 30 feet.
During mediation session, after the measurement of the land, they discussed that widened road would be useful for all and that no one should obstruct the construction of road. Later on, Toya Pokharel agreed to provide his land on condition that the user’s group had to take equal feet of land from both sides of the centre of the road. Converged, there reached an agreement thereby ensuring an environment to resume expansion.
The CMC, using win-win result for the parties of disputes, created an enabling environment at their community for developmental works besides instilling a sense of responsibility among all the stakeholders that community work benefits all therefore obstructing such a task is not a wise act. It has even increased the trust towards mediators among local communities, as they proved they can play important role even in development projects.
