Swiss Agency for Development and Co-operation (SDC) has been working in the transport sector of Nepal since 1960. One of the major programmes of SDC in the transport sector, the Strengthened Maintenance Division Programme (SMDP) was initiated in 1993 and it is running in its third phase with main objectives of Service delivery, Capacity Building and Empowerment. The SMDP approach was supplemented by an empowerment component, which has added a new dimension to the aspects of institutional development in accordance to the recommendation of external evaluation of second phase.
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Empowerment is process of gaining more control over one’s life. Its approach stresses enhancing people’s abilities to realize their basic rights and exercise the freedoms promised by democratic forms of governance. It helps to create an environment necessary to enable the poor to take advantage of poverty reduction opportunities by strengthening their socio-cultural, economic and political capabilities. In SMD programme, social mobilization is taken as a main process for achieving the target of empowerment component. This aspect has broadly materialized through the report of support mission on ‘Empowerment, Equity and Poverty Reduction in Road Maintenance’ by S. Dhakal and B. Weyermann prepared in February 2004. This report has helped to broaden the concept of empowerment in SMDP beyond the Lengthworker system and point out the activities for the involvement of CBOs / NGOs.
With the main theme ‘Integrate All Actors’, empowerment mission aims to maximize benefits of resources and assets through social mobilization and promote public-private partnership. In SMDP, empowerment issues cover the cross-cutting issues of Poverty alleviation, Gender Balance (Social Justice and Equity), Promotion of Good Governance and involvement of NGO’s, CBO’s and Private Sector for Road Maintenance Management aspect. Following activities have been advocating for empowerment in order to overall
institutional development of Department of Road (DoR) through SMD programme:
Lengthworker System - One of the most significant achievements of SMDP is introduction of Lengthworker system for routine maintenance activity in DoR, which has been noticed as a key indicator of empowering poor people housing along the Strategic Road Network. A survey has revealed that this system has been helping to survive about 7500 poor which includes average five family members of about 1200 Lengthworker and about 300 Supervisors. Meeting the national goal of Poverty Alleviation, this system has appreciably contributed by deploy Lengthworkers and Supervisors and providing equal salary to both male and female and preferring poorest of poor (priority to women) in disadvantaged group for their employment, this has initiated to address the cross-
sectorial issues like gender balance and social equity.
NGO’s/ CBO’s Involvement – A major empowerment issue of private sector involvement has focused on CBO’s / NGO’s participation in road / off-road maintenance activities directly or indirectly. Although all 25 Division Road Offices (DRO) are not well familiar with this activity, DRO, Lahan and Biratnagar have already piloted some activities in the participation of CBO which are mentioned below:
In Lahan, a CBO named Shree Budha Mahila Sahakari Sastha (Budha Women’s Co-operation) and DRO, Lahan have jointly working on roadside maintenance activity through tree plantation. All together 700 mango trees were planted near Chapradi along the Mahendra Rajmarg of 6 km length in two phases. The plant survival rate is noted as 98% which is quite remarkable. The mutual agreement was made on ‘community should take care of planted mango tree and DRO will allow harvesting mango fruits to community’. The financial and other external supports were managed by SMDP and DRO, Lahan. It is particularly expected that the plantation along the right of way will help to reduce and/or prevent road encroachment and in other hand, this activity will assist to uplift the economy of CBO members as it is observed as an income generation item (selling mango in future).
In Biratnagar, a workshop was conducted with a CBO called Youth Society Service Committee (YOSSEC) from Manglabare to make aware CBO members about off-road maintenance activities, importance of CBO involvement and identify the possible activity for DRO participation with CBO. In this workshop, participants were come up with different proposals related to road encroachment prevention, road safety, sanitation etc.
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