ICP at Chandani Dodhara to be built in three years

Kathmandu, Apr. 20

Nepal Intermodal Transport Development Board (NITDB) is set to develop Inland Container Depot (ICD) and Integrated Check Post (ICP) at Chandani Dodhara Municipality within next four fiscal years.

Master plan of the project is ready while required documents for the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) are prepared and sent to the Ministry of Forests and Environment for pre-approval, Ashish Gajurel, Executive Director of the board, said in an interaction with the journalists on the ICD/ICP at Chandani Dodhara on Tuesday.

The board is currently hiring consultants for the EIA and DPR of the project and waiting for the MoFE decision to conduct EIA.

"We aim to complete the detailed project report and EIA in the next fiscal year 2021/22. Meanwhile, the tender for the construction of the facility will be announced so that both the tasks could be completed simultaneously," said Gajurel.

According to the NITDB, the project in the local body across the Mahakali River could be constructed in two years.

"It will take about three years to complete the construction of the facility including the DPR and EIA," said Kamal Prasad Joshi, an engineer at the board.

The ICD/ICP will spread in an area of 280 bigahas in Gaurishankar and Mayapuri community forests. It will be developed in two phases. The first phase would cost Rs. 6.98 billion and is scheduled to be completed by 2025 while the Rs. 12.37 billion in second phase will be used as per the requirement.

Since the second phase of the project is about the development of the railway track including the storage of dust cargo and other items, it will be constructed according to the Indian plan to develop the railway across the border.

The economical internal rate of return of the project is 3.20 per cent.

The ICD/ICP will have facilities like customs, ware-house, quarantine, workshop, parking, laboratory, bank, administration, canteen, security force, dormitory, and cargo storage.

Initially, it will have about 300-500 containers and trucks parking facility which will be expanded to 3,000 cargo vehicles in future, said Joshi.

"It is a good thing that there is no obstruction from the locals at the project site. Both the community forests board have agreed to hand over the land to the NITDB for the construction of the facility," he said, adding that the board was conscious to address any grievance of the locals.

The ICT/ICP could handle the cargo from and to the Mundra Port in Gujarat in India, which is the shortest route to the Middle East and Europe.

The facility will be built with the government funds and a proposal is sent to the Ministry of Finance to secure funds for the same in the next fiscal year 2021/22, said Gajurel. It will be the second trade infrastructure to be developed by the government after the Dry Port in Chobhar in Kathmandu.

Dry ports at the northern borders – Tatopani and Rasuwagadhi – are developed with Chinese support while facilities at the southern borders such as Birgunj, Biratnagar and Bhairahawa are constructed with Indian support.

Development of Dry Port in Chobhar has boosted our confidence that Nepal could create such infrastructure on its own, said Gajurel.

Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 21 April 2021.