Progress of fast track road construction satisfactory

By A Staff Reporter,Kathmandu, Apr. 19:  A high-level team including Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' inspected the under-construction Kathmandu-Terai fast track, one of the national pride projects, on Tuesday. The 72.5-km long fast track is the shortest route connecting Madhes Province with the federal capital, Kathmandu. 

A team comprising the Prime Minister and high-ranking officials of the government of Nepal made an onsite visit reaching different sections of the project and upgrading works, said the Prime Minister's Secretariat. 

The team comprised Prime Minister Prachanda, Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Purna Bahadur Khadka, Minister for Physical Infrastructure and Transport, Prakash Jwala, Finance Minister Dr. Prakash Sharan Mahat, Chief Secretary Shanker Das Bairagi, Secretaries of the government and Chief of Army Staff Prabhu Ram Sharma. 

After inspecting the bridge being built on Bakaiya River in Bakaiya, Makwanpur, Prime Minister Prachanda assured that government would facilitate the construction of expressway with the necessary decisions.

Informing that he had inspected the construction works of roads and bridges including tunnels along the expressway, the Prime Minister said that the current construction work was satisfactory.

"During the onsite inspection, I found that the construction work was progressing rapidly," he said. 

"Due to Covid-19 pandemic, two and half years were wasted. There were some problems to make up for that time, but now we have found that the work is progressing rapidly again," he added. 

The Prime Minister also said that the government would make necessary decisions, including land acquisition, for the expressway. 

Recalling the time when he handed over the responsibility of expressway construction to Nepal Army during his second term, he said the decision was made by respecting and understanding people's aspiration and psychology. 

Thanking the Nepali Army and the construction company involved in the construction of the expressway, Prime Minister Prachanda said he felt proud to see how the construction of the expressway was gaining momentum and going on at a fast pace.

During the inspection, project manager Devendra Dhungana informed the inspection team about the condition of under-construction road and bridge on Bakaiya River along the expressway and also pledged to complete the construction of the 7.6 km road within the stipulated time. 

The team also inspected the tunnels being constructed at Mahadevtar located in Bhimfedi Rural Municipality-8 and Lendanda, Makwanpurgadhi-1.

During the inspection, Army Chief Prabhu Ram Sharma and others briefed the team of the Prime Minister about the progress of the expressway. The 72.5-kilometre fast track, which is the shortest route linking Kathmandu with Terai, is being constructed under the management of the Nepali Army, as the government has entrusted them with the responsibility for this national pride project.

According to NA, out of 46 km road from Mahadevtar to the southern part of the expressway, 13 km road section is being designed and the construction of 33 km road section and bridge is going on rapidly. 

Out of 11 sections of the fast track, the dispute of land acquisition in Khokana has remained as a challenge for the expressway construction. 

“The physical and financial progress of the project so far is about 22 and 23 per cent receptively,” said Spokesperson and Brigadier General Krishna Prasad Bhandari. 

Chief Minister of Bagmati Province Shalikram Jamkattel and provincial ministers also participated in the inspection. 

During the inspection, discussions were also held on the ways of expediting the construction works. 

The expressway project, which started in the fiscal year 2018/19, is set to be completed by January, 2025, starting from Khokana in Lalitpur and reaching Nijgadh in Bara through Makwanpur and Kathmandu. The total cost of the project is estimated at Rs. 175 billion.