Smart Refresh Centre project remains incomplete for 5 years

BY LAXMAN PAUDEL,Bhairahawa, Aug. 24: Lumbini Province’s much-anticipated ‘Smart Refresh Centre’ project, launched five years ago to provide safe and comfortable facilities to long-distance travelers, remains incomplete, with most centers stuck in their initial phases.

The project, announced in 2020 by former Chief Minister Shankar Pokharel, planned to build five refresh centres along the East-West Highway in Rupandehi, Kapilvastu, Nawalparasi, Dang, and Bardiya districts. Each centre was expected to provide food, snacks, restrooms, and rest facilities for travelers. 

However, construction progress has been sluggish, leaving passengers without the promised amenities. So far, work has begun only in Rupandehi’s Sainamaina, Kapilvastu’s Chandrauta, and Nawalparasi’s Bardaghat.

 In Sainamaina, the first-phase building has been completed at a cost of Rs. 35.5 million, but the second phase has not started, preventing its operation. 

Similarly, in Chandrauta, the building, toilets, and water boring have been finished, yet the facility has not been handed over to local authorities due to delays in developing operational guidelines. 

In Bardaghat, construction has reached the final stage, with buildings and restrooms completed, but access roads, parking areas, and gardens remain unfinished. Around Rs. 1.9 million has been allocated to complete these works.

Meanwhile, centres planned for Dang and Bardiya never started due to land disputes. In Lamahi, Dang, locals opposed construction on forest land, despite an earlier agreement to use the Ajambari Community Forest area.

According to Gunanidhi Pokharel, Division Chief at the Ministry of Water Supply, Rural and Urban Development of Lumbini Province, the plan was to hand over the first-phase facilities to local governments for operation and later expand with parks, waste management, and charging stations in the second phase. However, budget shortages and procedural delays have hindered progress.

Stakeholders, including transport operators, stress the urgent need for refresh centers. Dadhiram Kharel, Chairman of Western Nepal Bus Operators Pvt. Ltd., said the lack of proper rest stops along the highway forced passengers to use forests as toilets, while drivers struggle to find safe places to rest.

Last fiscal year alone, more than 28,000 domestic and international tourists entered through Bardiya National Park. With the project still non-operational five years on, critics argue that the much-publicised plan has remained confined to paper.

Minister for Water Supply, Rural and Urban Development, Saroj Thapa (Roz Rana), acknowledged the delays but assured that the provincial government has now prioritised the project. “Progress has indeed been slow,” he said, “But the government is now working with seriousness to move it forward with urgency.