NPC chair inspects fast-track project

Kathmandu, Oct. 5

People affected by the Kathmandu-Terai Fast Track project in Lalitpur district have demanded the vice chairman of the National Planning Commission (NPC) Prof. Dr. Pushpa Raj Kadel to facilitate in the development of the road with proper address to the compensation dispute, heritage preservation and integrated development.

Dr. Kadel inspected the Fast Track on Sunday.

A team led by Dr. Kandel had a field inspection of the Fast Track’s Bhainsepati, Khokaha, Sikali Chaur, Bungmati and Makhkhu Benshi section. He was accompanied by Infrastructure Development Expert to the Prime Minister Gajendra Thapaliya and chief of NPC’s Monitoring Division Dr. Bashudev Sharma.

According to the NPC, he had gone there to observe and study the challenges the project was facing in its development. He interacted with Lalitpur District Coordination Committee’s vice-chair Binesh Maharjan and local people regarding the disputes and problems.

Dr. Kandel said that he inspected the project and interacted with the locals with the aim of resolving the disputes between the project developer Nepal Army and the affected people. “This exercise will help us to resolve the problems faced by the project,” he said.

There is a dispute between the two regarding the compensation to the land acquisition, and preserving the heritages in Sikali, Khokana and Bagmati.

The Prime Minister’s Office is organising a review meeting for the national pride projects and the VC had reached the project site in the middle of the discussions.

He said that if the problems were not addressed at the earliest, it would bruise the state coffers and the project would be delayed.

Nepali Army has completed the construction of service track and permanent base camp to use in the project development, clearing the trees, distributing compensation and relief and doing other social works.

The project was handed over to the Nepali Army about three years ago through a Cabinet decision. It has another two and a half years to complete the project.

Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 6 October 2020.