Myagdi, March 17: Five hydroelectric projects under construction in Raghuganga Municipality, Myagdi, have agreed to meet their corporate social responsibility (CSR) commitments following pressure from local residents.
In response to intense local demands, the five projects signed written agreements to address various community needs. The projects had previously neglected the community's requests, but after discussions with political parties, local representatives, and residents, they reached an agreement at a meeting in the municipality center, Mauwaphant, attended by elected officials, stakeholders, and project heads.
Initially reluctant to address the demands, the projects have now committed to improving local roads, a major concern for the community. Following a phased protest by locals, the projects agreed to fulfill their 33-point written commitments. The five projects include the 40 MW Rahughat Hydroelectric, 22.5 MW Thulukhola 'A', 35.5 MW Rahughat Mangle, 21.3 MW Thulukhola, and 48.5 MW Upper Rahughat Hydroelectric projects.
On February 27 and March 9, stakeholders raised the issues in a meeting, prompting the projects to make written commitments to fulfill both immediate and long-term responsibilities. Raghuganga Municipality Chairperson Bhaba Bahadur Bhandari confirmed that these commitments followed extensive discussions on the collective demands, as the projects had not met the responsibilities.
Additionally, the projects agreed to distribute 10% of their shares in the affected areas to local residents, expanding participation beyond just the immediate vicinity. Previously, the projects had only involved residents from the directly impacted areas. The projects have also committed to upgrading the Mauwaphant-to-Bhukhel section of the Beni-Jomsom road to gravel as part of their CSR obligations.
As part of the agreement, Rahughat Hydroelectric will ensure that the contractor company upgrades the road using gravel. They also committed to blacktopping the road from Ghumautaal to Mauwaphant, as outlined in the project report. Rahughat Hydroelectric will fund 80 percent of the road upgrade, with the remaining 20 percent to be shared by other ongoing projects in the municipality based on their production capacities.
Tundi Power, United Energy, and Thulukhola Hydropower will upgrade the road from Mauwafant to Dagnam, Chimkhola, and Patlekhark with a budget of Rs 15 million this fiscal year. The projects have agreed to collaborate with the municipality, provincial government, and federal government to improve the road quality in the long term.
Similarly, the projects will allocate Rs 2.5 million each for upgrading roads in the Jhi and Pakhapani areas during this fiscal year. They have also committed to using CSR funds transparently and will only allocate budgets based on joint recommendations from the ward and municipality. Furthermore, they pledged to continue supporting drinking water schemes, irrigation projects, and educational assistance for local schools.
The agreements were signed by Ganesh KC, Managing Director of Raghuganga Hydropower, Indra Prasad Dhakal, General Manager of Tundi Power, Pradeep Khatiwada, Finance Head of Thulokhola Hydropower, and Gopal Prasad Niur, Managing Director of United Energy Limited. During the meeting, Members of Parliament Khum Bahadur Garbuja and Hari Bahadur Bhandari warned that failure to comply with the agreements would result in severe consequences for the hydroelectric projects.