'You must get out and get your clothes dirty for development'

Dharan Sub-Metropolitan City, one of the main urban hubs of eastern Nepal, has been in the limelight this year. It has been compared to the capital Kathmandu Metropolitan City on numerous occasions and its activities and decisions often make national news. The reason for this has been its mayor Harka Raj Sampang Rai. No political party, no celebrity profile and no wealth backing him up, yet, Rai managed to pull a surprising victory in last year's local election based on his background in social work. He defeated his closest rival Kishore Rai of the Nepali Congress, who was supported by the five-party ruling alliance of the time, by a margin of 4,762 votes.      

Since assuming his office, he has continued working with the people, seeking volunteers to implement infrastructure projects. He is also known for getting his hands dirty, literally, and contributing his own labour to get things done. Recently, he earned accolades for bringing drinking water to quench the chronic thirst of the denizens from the Kokaha River located 42 kilometres away from the city. 

The Rising Nepal's Nisha Rai talked with Mayor Rai about all this and more. Excerpts from the interview:

You are a social activist. You had contested the election of deputy mayor in Dharna in the 2017 local elections but you lost it. Now, you are the city's mayor. How do you view your journey so far and what do you have planned for the future?

I could not get people's issues heard through social activism alone. That is why stood in last year's election. Drinking water has always been Dharan's main problem. I strongly felt that I need to be mayor to solve this problem and develop the city. I shared this feeling with the denizens and they trusted me. They had not in the local elections of 2017. 

I have not sat idle in my office since my victory too. I have been out in the dust and mud to serve the people of Dharan. I have been trying to deal with every problem personally and promise to dedicate my life to people.

What have you achieved in your first year in office?

Let the people say what we have achieved, not me. All I can say is that I tried my best. I brought water from the surrounding rivers with the help of Dharan's residents and tried to solve the drinking water crisis. I taught people inside and outside the value of voluntary labour, the value of working to develop our localities and communities. This is one of the biggest things I have achieved in my life.

How many of your election pledges have you fulfilled?

I had promised to solve Dharan's drinking water crisis and devoted everything I had to it. I had vowed to bring water from the Saptakoshi River and currently, a detailed project report is being prepared for it with the help of the federal and provincial governments. 

With support from the people, and without any investment from the federal and provincial governments, we attempted to set up a supply system that has addressed the city's drinking water problem for the time being. 

We have declared Thursdays as clean days, Fridays as reform days and Saturdays as labour days. 

In the coming years, we plan to continue focusing on drinking water and on developing agriculture and industry. We are looking at ways to increase Dharan's income and revenue.

Dharan is neither a commercial city nor an industrial hub. Nor is it known for agriculture. What kind of city do you want Dharan to be?

Dharan should have factories and work has already started to make this happen. We have already begun manufacturing soap and turmeric. 

We plan to prioritise agriculture too. We need to encourage Dharan residents to adopt rooftop and backyard farming.

Although Dharan is an old market town, it does not have good physical infrastructure. Sectors like roads, education and health are not adequately developed. How do you plan to change this?

Nepal is not only multi-ethnic and multilingual but also geographically diverse and Dharan reflects this diversity. It has slopes and hills. To develop them, we need enough time and budget. Some works have been done in the last year that will be continued. Dharan Sub-Metropolitan City will have developed infrastructure soon.

Dharan lacks resources and income. How will you increase them?

We aim to increase factories and create job opportunities. We have been providing employment-oriented training. The sub-metro has been focusing on training foreign employment returnees, women and people living with disabilities so they can work in the country.

What areas did you focus on in the budget for the fiscal year 2023/24?

We passed a budget of Rs. 1.71 billion for the fiscal year 2023/24. This is slightly larger than last year’s. This budget has prioritised drinking water, health, education, tourism, agriculture, social development and disaster risk reduction.

How have the federal and provincial governments supported Dharan's development?

I do not belong to any political party. They cannot refuse to help me. So far, the federal and provincial governments have been supporting my initiatives. This year, the province also allocated a budget to mitigate Dharan's drinking water crisis.

You won as an independent candidate but other members of the city's municipal assembly come from various political parties. You and ward chairs seem to butt heads a lot which, people worry, could impact Dharan's development. How do you take this?

Yes, we disagree, but our disagreements get resolved in the municipal assembly meetings. No matter what our political background is, we are all people's representatives when in the sub-metropolitan city. We all have rights and duties and have to operate under the limits of the law. We are all working within our jurisdictions. We contested the election for the people, not for the party. Hence, we must work for the people now that we are in office. Disagreements happen everywhere, and Dharan is no exception. We are all together for Dharan's development.

You have been accused of being stubborn, not listening to others and pushing your opinions and perspectives only. What do you have to say about this?

I have a vision, I am a leader and people support me. Our residents would not be with me if they did not think my way was the right way. I have been here today without any advice or suggestions from experts. In fact, I would get confused if I started listening to others. 

Let it be known that experts told me to not contest the polls. They told me I would lose. Had I listened to them, I would not have been here today. It is because I am stubborn that I have been able to serve the people and solve their problems for the past decade. There were times when I was the sole voice demanding drinking water for Dharan and for the irregularities in the BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences to be investigated. 

I am determined to develop Dharan. I stood in the elections because I understood that yelling and protesting alone cannot bring prosperity. Development does not just happen, you know. You have to get out and get your clothes dirty. I also firmly believe in practising what I preach so I myself get out and work.

Dharan will develop steadily.