Permission for tree cutting granted for Madan Bhandari Highway

By Hari Prasad Koirala,Urlabari, Dec. 17: Following ministerial-level approval, the long-pending clearance for cutting trees in the forest areas along the Madan Bhandari Highway has been granted. The highway is being developed as an alternative to the national highway.

Previously, due to a lack of coordination between the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport and the Ministry of Forests and Environment, tree-cutting within the designated forest areas of the highway’s DPR (Detailed Project Report) zone had been stalled for 26 months. The government’s cabinet meeting on November 21, 2024, finally decided to allow the cutting of trees in the DPR-approved sections.

The construction of the Madan Bhandari Highway had been halted on multiple sections, including Dharan-Kerabari, Letang-Madhumalla, Beldangi Road, Shantinagar-Patapur, and Warfalangfedi-Shantinagar, due to the inability to remove trees from these areas.

The project spans 95.8 kilometres within the Koshi Province, much of which falls within forested areas. The Dharan-Kerabari-Letang-Madhumalla-Beldangi section alone contains 5,789 trees across 53 kilometres. Similarly, the Shantinagar-Patapur stretch (13.87 km) and Warfalangfedhi-Shantinagar stretch (13 km) contain 3,689 and 2,880 trees, respectively.

According to Subash Kumar Dutta, Information Officer for the Madan Bhandari Highway Project Office in Damak, a request for tree clearance was sent to the Ministry of Forests in March 2023, but no action was taken at that time. Dutta said, "The forest area spans 36 hectares along the 46-kilometre stretch from Sunsari’s Sardu River to Jhapa’s Beldangi. While the government has granted land-use rights, tree cutting requires either the purchase of equivalent land for reforestation or depositing the monetary value of the forest area into the Forest Development Fund. If the Ministry of Finance secures the necessary budget, the tree clearance process will move forward."

Morang District Forest Officer Utsav Thapa highlighted that land compensation is the primary condition for tree removal. "The government aims to maintain 45 per cent forest cover. If the project provides replacement land, afforestation must be carried out to ensure forest expansion. On the other hand, the revenue equivalent to the value of 36 hectares of forest must be deposited into the Forest Development Fund before receiving tree-cutting approval,” Thapa said, adding that 25 hectares of the affected forest lies in Morang District.

The Koshi Province section of the highway spans 127.8 kilometres from Sunsari’s Sardu River to Jhapa’s Patapur. Of this, 95.8 kilometres is under construction, with only 19.5 kilometres blacktopped so far. 

Twelve contracts have been signed for different sections, with a completion deadline of January 11, 2025. However, delays in tree clearance have prompted the construction company, Motidan Construction, to request an extension, potentially adding another year to the timeline.

Why tree cutting got delayed

Ram Lakhan Thakur, Information Officer at the Morang Division Forest Office, explained that initial plans involved clearing trees 10 metres on either side of the road’s centerline. However, subsequent changes to 15 metres on each side caused delays as new assessments were required. The constant revisions in clearance specifications stalled the process further.

The Madan Bhandari Highway, connecting the Mid-Hill Highway and East-West Highway, traverses the Chure and Inner Madhes valleys. It includes 182 bridges and is around 1,200-kilometres long. Once completed, it is expected to directly benefit around 7.2 million people across 19 districts.

The highway begins at Shantinagar in Jhapa and passes through Sunsari (Dharan, Chatara), Udayapur (Gaighat, Katari), Sindhuli (Sindhulimadi), Makwanpur (Hetauda), Nawalparasi (Gaindakot), Palpa (Rampur), Gulmi (Ridi, Tamghas, Simaltari), Pyuthan (Bagdula, Devisthan), Dang (Ghorahi, Tulsipur, Purandhara), Surkhet (Botechour, Baddichaur), Doti (Simchaur, Bipinagar), Kailali (Sahajpur) and Dadeldhura (Budar, Jogbudha), ending at Rupal.

Currently, sections from Jhapa to Udayapur via Sindhuli and Hetauda have been completed. However, tree clearance remains a critical barrier to timely completion of the remaining portions.