325KM road blacktopped, 80 bridges constructed in eight months: Economic Survey

By Sanchita Ghimire, Kathmandu, May 29: The blacktopping of 325 kilometres of roads and construction of 80 road bridges have been completed in eight months of the current fiscal year, 2021/22, according to the Economic Survey Report unveiled by the government on Saturday. Similarly, 265 km road has been gravelled and 95 repaired.    

The expansion of roads has increased to 33,871 km of roads (16,939 km blacktopped and 8,821 km fair-weather roads) in the country as opposed to 16,614 km blacktopped, 8,071 km gravelled and 8,931 km fair-weather roads until the previous FY, 2020/21.    

A total of 192 bridges were constructed in the previous FY. A total of 64,617 km of roads including fair-weather, gravelled and blacktopped at provincial and local levels were constructed in eight months of the current FY as compared to 63,696 km of roads in the previous FY. Of the total constructed roads, the mountainous region has made up 16 per cent, hilly area 55 per cent and Tarai 29 per cent.    

The national pride project, 1,157 km Mid-Hilly Highway, has added 44 km of roads in six months. Of 129 bridges under-construction along the Highway, 92 have been completed so far. Eighty-one km of roads along the Postal Highway have been completed and five bridges. Gaidakot-Ramdi-Maldhunga road under the Kaligandaki corridor has got 64 km road blacktopped.    

One hundred thirty-two km of roads along the Maldhunga-Beni-Jomsom-Korala have been gravelled and 25 km blacktopped. The 261 km Simkot-Sarisalla road under the Karnali corridor has added three km.    

The 241 km blacktopped road under the Madan Bhandari Highway has got four km added. Two km has been added to Rani-Biratnagar-Itahari-Dharan road, 1.2 km to Jatahi-Janakpur-Dhalkebar, 2.2 km to Birgunj-Pathalaiya and 500 meters to Mohana-Attariya. Under local infrastructures, 215 suspension bridges and four road bridges were constructed. The number of suspension bridges in the country has hit 9,388 and road bridges 627.    

Out of 143 identified twine, 134 have been replaced, according to the survey.    

Of the 79 km railway in Nepali territory under the Jaynagar-Janakpur-Kurtha-Bijalpura and Bathanaha-Biratnagar railway, 56 km have been completed. Jaynagar-Kurtha railway has come into operation in the current FY.    

A laying trackbed along 1.5 km of the Bardibas-Nijgadh railway under the East-West electric railway has been completed. With this, 50.2 km railway has got trackbed laying.