Biratnagar, Sept 30 : Minister for Federal Affairs and General Administration Lalbabu Pandit has informed that work has been forwarded to build a total of 4,500-km of road network linking towns and rural municipalities to the major highways of the country.   

 
At a festival greetings exchange progamme organized by the Biratnagar Buspark Management Committee at Biratnagar, Morang today, Minister Pandit shared that the estimated cost of building that road network came around Rs 8 billion.    

Also inaugurating a new police beat and citizens help desk here, Pandit further said that 25 per cent of the country's total budget was allocated for the construction of roads. He warned of stern action against those builders and contractors building sub-standard roads.    

Moreover, he informed that work relating to blacktopping Rani-Nimuwa canal road would be inaugurated next week, adding that whoever is found involved in corruption and wrong doings would not be spared under any pretext or grounds.    

Stating that the incumbent government was aiming for 11 per cent economic growth as against the current over seven per cent, the Minister expressed his confidence that the country could make a headway for development and growth through coordination among the three-tier governments.    

Similarly, District Police Office, Morang Chief Bishwa Adhikari said that Biratnagar had witnessed a slump in the criminal cases in the last two weeks, thanks to the public-police partnership.    
Likewise, representatives from Bus Management Committee Padam Shrestha, ward chair of Biratnagar-11 Tirthendra Neupane, Federation of Nepalese National Transport Entrepreneurs (FNNTE) Province No 1 coordinator Saroj Shrestha among other stakeholders pledged to make Biratnagar a model town in upcoming days.    

To facilitate the passengers and transport operators alike as well as to develop Biratnagar as a model town, they said that they were considering various measures such as construction of modern welcome gate, modern passenger waiting shelters, a bell tower, God Bishwakarma Temple, Senior Citizen Room, putting in place dust mopping and clean drinking water facilities and the like.(RSS)