Bakaiya (Makawanpur), Aug 5: Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli on Monday observed the 'breakthrough' of the Ghattepakha-Dhedre Tunnel developed under the Kathmandu –Terai/Madhesh Expressway (Fast Track). The Express Highway project remains a project of national pride and strategic importance.
The breakthrough ceremony for the
1.728-kilometre-long tunnel was held at Dhedre of Bakaiya rural
municipality-12. Another Dhedre tunnel, measuring 1.653 kilometres, towards the
Nijgadh-Kathmandu side had already been completed. With this, the opening of
tunnels under package 11 is now complete.
The Prime Minister activated a switch for the breakthrough of the tunnel. The implementation of the project is being undertaken by the Nepali Army.
On the occasion, Chief of the Army
Staff, Prabhu Ram Sharma, apprised the Prime Minister about the progress so far
and the challenges in regard to the project implementation. He said that to
date the project reports 35.98 per cent progress.
The construction of the 1.612-kilometre-long
tunnel towards the Nijgadh-Kathmandu at Lendanda and the 1.633-kilometre-long
tunnel towards the Kathmandu-Nijgadh section has been already over.
Presently, the construction of the
3.322 km long Mahadevtar Tunnel towards Nijgadh-Kathmandu reports the
completion of 2.29 kilometres, while the 3.386 km long tunnel towards
Kathmandu-Nijgadh has reached up to 2.88 kilometres. The opening of both
tracks is expected within a year.
The project is being implemented by
dividing it into 13 packages, and out of the 89 bridges to be constructed under
it, 85 are at various stages of construction.
The sites for the remaining four
bridges are based in the Khokana area of Lalitpur and the progress has been
hampered due to disputes over the land acquisition.
The NA expects to complete the fast-track project by mid-April, 2027.
The starting point is Khokana in
Lalitpur and the final point is Nijgarh in Bara. The length of the road is
70.977 kilometres. The expressway will be 25 meters wide in hilly terrain and
27 meters wide in Terai terrain.
Six tunnels with a length of 10.399
km will be built on the expressway. Under the project, one km long tunnel will
be constructed in Devichaur, 0.39 km in Sisautar, 2.25 km in Chandram Bhir,
3.355 km in Mahadevdanda, 1.691 km in Dhedre and 1.623 km in Lendanda.
Similarly, 89 bridges with a length
of 12.885 km will be constructed at different places on that road. Two rest
stops in Budune and one interchange and toll plaza each in Khokana, Budune and Nijgarh
will be constructed under the project.
According to the decision of the
Council of Ministers on 4 May 2017, the responsibility of construction
management of the project has been given to the Nepali Army.
The then Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal
Dahal 'Prachanda' laid the foundation stone of the project at Nijgarh in Bara
on 28 May 2017. The government handed over the project to the Army from the
Road Department on 11 August 2017.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister
for Finance Bishnu Paudel, Physical Infrastructure and Transport Minister
Devendra Dahal, Defence Minister Manveer Rai, Forest and Environment Minister
Ain Bahadur Shahi and Ambassadors of China and South Korea to Nepal were
present at the event. (RSS)