Purna Bahadur Gurung, a Reconstruction Leader in Dhading

- Ram Krishna Sharma

Mr. Purna Bahadur Gurung, 51, with fallen off teeth lives in Kafal Chaap of Khalte, ward 01 of Nilkantha Municipality, Dhading. When he was young, he worked as labor in Kathmandu for some years but being frustrated he returned back to his village and began helping his mason father. For 22 years, he got involved in construction works, building conventional individual houses. But after 2015 Gorkha Earthquake, he found his knowledge was not sufficient and skills were not satisfactory.

He had his own house tumbled down and 20 more houses were waiting to get rebuilt in his village. He was squirmed. He thought his knowledge and skills will not work to rebuilt all those house as he had no knowledge and idea about safer reconstruction.

At the meantime, NSET- Baliyo Ghar happened to conduct a mason training in his village to guide the existing masons for safer reconstruction technique. Mr. Purna participated the training. KafalChaap, a village of Gurungs in Khalte Dhading was completely destroyed during Gorkha Earthquake. But now the complexion of village has been changed in the leadership of Mr. Purna Bahadur. All the houses are now earthquake resistant. After he received the technical ideas and knowledge to reconstruct earthquake resistant houses, he not only made his village, a quake safe village but only produced new masons to help him. He said, "I guide the new masons to do as per my learning during the mason training and continuously I supervise the work too. Beneficiaries have begun to live in this house". Had Mr. Purna limited his knowledge and learnings to himself only, it's sure neither the village could not have been rebuilt so early nor the youths would have get employed. Travelling to the abroad for job opportunity was common in the village, but now it has been stopped.

"I have 2 ex-drivers working with me. Earlier they used to earn Rs. 15 thousand per month but now they are making Rs. 30 thousand, it's quite pleasing" says Mr. Purna. Almost all the youths in Kafal Chaap have skills in their hand now. The elderly parents are happy to get their sons get employed in the village and nearby on reconstruction works.

Mr. Gurung at Construction Site

The skills developed by Mr. Purna Bahadur after the mason training has definitely helped make Kafal Chaap, a resilient village, but also new masons contributed a lot. The masons worked following the Parma System, a system of exchanging labours to expedite the reconstruction works in the village.

Tika Budhathoki, Social Development Officer to NSET-Baliyo Ghar informed, "On the leadership of Mr. Purna Bahadur Gurung, the village has now turned in to quake safe village. We have witnessed that, a trained mason in a small village has a great value". Kafal Chaap, has now turned to be a model house after reconstruction. Mr. Purna is a part of it. There are other dozens of villages to be rebuilt within the time frame of reconstruction campaign. Mr. Purna plans to go other villages to help them rebuilt safer and better.

After being reconstructed, Kafal Chaap is seeking for better livelihood and sustainable development. And neighboring villages and other villages in the district will be rebuilt by the trained masons like Mr. Purna Bahadur Gurung.