Expedite Fast Track Project

The Kathmandu-Tarai-Madhes Fast Track (KTFT), a national pride project undertaken by the Nepal Army (NA), is hailed as a game changing project in Nepal's transportation sector. As such, it is expected to make a significant contribution to the country's development and prosperity. Starting in Khokana of Lalitpur district, the 71-km expressway ends in Nijgadh of Bara district, connecting the country's southern plains with the capital and also the East-West Highway. Against the backdrop that the construction of a state-of-the-art international airport in Nijgadh has been planned, the project holds a great importance. 

Started on April 25, 2017, the project had been initially scheduled for completion by 2021. However, the deadline was subsequently extended to December 2024 and then to April 2027.  Once completed, the fast track is expected to reduce transportation time from Tarai to Kathmandu by four hours and save over Rs. 50 billion annually in transportation costs.  As per a recent news report carried by this daily, it has achieved 37 per cent physical progress and 39.56 financial progress. That President Ramchandra Paudel himself took time to visit the project site on Friday highlights the urgency of completing it as quickly as possible. The President inspected the construction of the tunnel at one of the sites and was briefed on the progress and status of the project. 

For all the effort to expedite the construction work, the project has in the past suffered multiple delays owing to factors such as the COVID-19 pandemic, indecision about its detailed project report (DPR), disputes over land acquisition and legal hurdle preventing the felling of trees to clear the way, among others. Needless to say, the more it is stuck in delays, the more ramifications it will have on many fronts. First is about cost overruns – which has already risen to over Rs. 210 billion from initial Rs. 175 billion. Second, economic toll. An efficient transportation not only saves time, fuel and money but also prods many to use it, generating revenue for the government and fueling economic activities. This economic boom is crucial for us at a time when we are heading to graduate to a status of a developing country. 

Third, failure to complete such a mega project on time amounts to missed opportunity, and if seized on, would bring many transformative dividends. But there are reasons to feel optimistic now. Notices have so far been issued for the acquisition of 5,204 ropanis of private land, out of which 4,818 ropanis have been acquired. Among the remaining land to be acquired, the price of 203 ropanis in the Khokana-Bungamati section has been determined, and compensation distribution is scheduled to begin soon.  Furthermore, 16 ropanis of land remain to be acquired in the Makwanpur district and four ropanis in Kathmandu. 

The problem of land acquisition had always been a major sticking point, dragging the project into uncertainty. But going by the recent pace the land acquisition has gathered, the NA seems to have been able to settle the matter amicably. What's more, the NA has reported to have felled 36,179 tress, and in compensation, 705,553 saplings have been planted. Hopes have been raised that the obstacles standing in the way of the project are getting cleared gradually. Should the NA ask the government for amendments to law posing as hindrance to the project, as has been the case before, the latter should support the former in every possible way.