Remove 'monorail' from development plans, house panel asks government

Kathmandu, Aug. 25

The Development and Technology Committee of the House of Representative has directed the Prime Minister's Office and Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport (MoPIT) to remove the word 'monorail' from all projects concerned with railway transport development.

National pride project on rail, metro rail and monorail uses the technical term that has long been outdated from development planning globally.

"Since the term 'monorail' is removed from the development plan of many countries, Nepal should erase it from the projects concerned to railway development. It is inappropriate to allocate budget to monorail development projects," the committee said in its decision published on Thursday. However, a meeting of the committee had made the decision a day before.

The committee has also directed the government, MoPIT, Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation to give priority to the electrified railway in the days to come and immediately begin the work to develop the electric structure for the infrastructure.

Likewise, since the Kurtha-Jaynagar Railway is facing various problems as less attention was paid for the preparedness before the operation commencement about five months ago, the government should urgently establish fuel centre and maintenance workshop, and provide the required human resources, read the decision.

Meanwhile, the house panel directed the government including the Ministry of Forest and Environment (MoFE) to facilitate in the Detailed Project Report and environmental studies of the roads and bridges in the protected forest areas along the East-West Highway.

Road expansion work is underway at the Narayangadh-Butwal section of the highway which is the lifeline of business and transportation in the country. The road will be developed into a four-lane highway and service lanes. The house panel had conducted a discussion with the secretaries and officials of MoPIT and MoFE.

The committee expressed dissatisfaction over the delay in the progress of road expansion which should have been completed by now but it has achieved just about 19 per cent progress. 

Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 26 August 2022. 

Kurtha-Bijalpura rail link completed, operation date not in scene

Kathmandu, Feb. 6

 India has completed the second phase of Nepal-India Railway Project connecting Bijalpura with Kurtha and is in the process to hand it over to the Government of Nepal in a couple of weeks but it is uncertain when the rail will come into regular operation.

The 18-km stretch from Kurtha to Bijalpura, a section of the Nepal-India cross-border rail link, has three stations - Kurtha, Pipradi and Bijalpura, and two halts – small stations without staff and facilities – at Loharpati and Singyahi.

The Department of Railways (DoR) said that the infrastructure is ready for the operation of trains but the service would take some time since human resources are being managed.

Spokesperson of the DoR Aman Chitrakar said that the timeline for the train operation is not finalised yet, however, preparations are being expedited.

According to him, training for the human resources recruited from the Nepal Railway Company has concluded and soon they will be deployed to operate the rail service.

But core technical manpower such as loco pilots and assistant loco pilots will be supplied by the Konkan Rail Corporation Limited, the supplier of the trains to Nepal.

The DoR had planned to operate railway service in the Janakpur-Jayanagar section from October 2018 but delay in procuring the locomotives failed the plan.

The Konkan Rail Corporation could deliver two sets of DEMU trains only in September 2020. However, the trains procured at the cost of Rs. 846.5 million are rusting at Janakpur station since then.

The first cross-border railway connectivity project covers about 69.8 km from Jayanagar in Bihar to Bardibas in Mahottari district in Nepal. However, the third phase of the project – Bijalpura to Bardibas – is yet to be completed. The project is funded by India and it has invested about INR 5.5 billion till now.

Till 2014, Nepal had narrow gauge train service which is being converted to broad gauge passenger rail service.

Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 7 February 2022. 

Group 25 urges to give priority to Keyrung-Ktm railway

 Kathmendu, Oct. 14

The Group 25 Plus, a civil society group comprising eminent persons of Nepal, has said that the Raxaul-Kathmandu Railway was not the need of the hour and was not feasible economically so the country should prioritise the Keyrung-Kathmandu Railway.

"The Keyrung-Kathmandu Railway will be benefit Nepal in trade diversification and credibility. It is strategically and geopolitically beneficial to the country as well," said the group in a statement. "It truly makes Nepal a land-linked country and end Indian monopoly and hegemony."

It said that Nepali people would not forget multiple Indian border blockade and its dominating behaviour.

"Even during the COVID-19, India blackmailed Nepal that if the latter did not allow the import vegetables from the southern neighbour, it would stop the entry of other goods as well. This has happened due to Nepal's over and one-sided reliance on India," read the statement.

Demanding the government to expedite the study and construction of the cross-border railway with China, the group said that the broad gauge technology proposed in the construction of the Raxaul-Kathmandu Railway was outdated and Nepal should develop railways in standard gauge.

Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 15 October 2020. 

First rail comes in a month

Kathmandu, Dec. 24

Missing several deadlines, the first set of trains from India is likely to arrive in Nepal by the end of January next year, said the Department of Railway.

A team of DoR officials led by its Director General Balram Mishra visited the Konkan Railway Corporation Limited, an Indian government-owned rail enterprise in Chennai, last week.

“The rail is under production and the company has said that it can deliver it by the end of next month. But still we are doubtful due to the current political situation in India,” said Aman Chitrakar, senior Divisional Engineer and Spokesperson at the DoR.

But the department is making preparations for the rail operation in Janakpur-Jayanagar section immediately after the arrival of the train.

Nepal is buying two DEMU (Diesel Electric Multiple Unit) trains, with engines at both sides, at the cost of Rs. 846.5 million. The trains will have five to 10 bogies.

The Cabinet had given a positive nod to the train procurement in March this year although the initiatives were made even earlier, the Indian company had delayed the delivery of the locomotives also because Nepal failed in timely communication about the technical requirements of the machines.

If the things go well, the second set of the trains will enter Nepal by February end in 2020.

Chitrakar said that the DoR was acquiring human resources required for the railway operation from the international market, primarily India, since the country does not have railway technicians and staff. The department had tried to revive the erstwhile Nepal Railway Company, the government-agency that operated Janakpur-Jayanagar Railway service in the past, which has been non-functional since 2014, and use it as a human resource development centre.

Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 25 December 2019. 

Nepal-India agree to use wateryas up to three inland port

Kathmandu, Nov. 27

India has agreed to allow Nepal to use its inland waterways for the transportation of goods to and from the third countries via Kolkata Port.


A two-day meeting between Nepal and India on Review of the Transit Treaty that concluded on Wednesday agreed to allow Nepal to operate inland waterways from Kolkata Port to three different river ports near Nepal-India border – Shahebgunj in Jharkhand, Kalighat in West Bengal and Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh.


With the new agreement between the two countries, Nepal can operate its own ships up to these ports, said Navaraj Dhakal, Joint Secretary of Bilateral and Regional Trade Division at the Ministry Industry, Commerce and Supplies (MoICS).


India has also agreed to allow Nepal to use three border entry points to carry cargo.

"This is a kind of a break-through in terms of inland waterways and diversification of transit facilities. It will help Nepal in foreign trade," said Dhakal.


However, Nepal has to use land route to Nepal to carry goods to and from Shahebgunj, Kalighat and Varanasi.


It will reduce Nepal's cost of trade which has been one of the major impediments in Nepal's international trade.


Likewise, the meeting agreed to open Dhamra port in Odhisa and Mundra port in Gujrat for Nepal for cargo movement. It has diversified Nepal's transit facilities.


Similarly, another agreement was reached to open Biratnagar-Jogbani and Bhairahawa-Sunauli border for bulk cargo movement via railway.


According to the MoICS, India is positive to implement transhipment facility to Nepal-bound cargo containers from the third countries with the Electronic Cargo Tracking System.


A nine-member Nepali delegation led by Dhakal and eight-member Indian delegation led by Joint-Secretary of the Commerce and Industry Ministry of India Bhupinder Singh Bhalla deliberated on various bilateral trade and transit issues in the meeting.


Nepal and India had signed the Transit Treaty in 1978. The treaty was renewed in 2013 although it has a provision to renew automatically. The two countries review the treaty to incorporate the latest issues and address the problems in bilateral trade.

Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 28 November 2019. 

Nepal and China agree on cooperaion in roads, railways and tunnels

Kathmandu, Oct. 13

Nepal and China have agreed to intensify cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) to enhance connectivity by developing ports, roads, railways, aviation and communication.

They have agreed to expedite the implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on cooperation under the BRI to enhance connectivity within the framework of trans-Himalayan Multi-Dimensional Connectivity Network.

A joint statement issued by the two neighbours on Sunday at the conclusion of the two-day state visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to Nepal maintains that the implementation of connectivity infrastructure will contribute to Nepal’s aim to graduate from the status of the Least Developed Country (LDC) at an early date and become a middle income country by 2030.

Nepal plans to graduate to a developing nation from its current LDC status by 2022.

President Xi and Prime Minster KP Sharma Oli observed the agreements signing on Sunday morning following their bilateral meeting.

The visit of the Chinese Head of the State after a gap of 23 years brought joy to the government and people of Nepal as the two nations agreed to conduct the feasibility study of the Keyrung-Kathmandu Railway project which will be the first cross-border railway in the north. 

China has also assured that it would extend support to the proposed Kathmandu-Pokhara-Lumbini railway project.

Nepal and China had signed an MoU in June 2018 on Cooperation in Railway Project.

Cross-border connectivity

The northern neighbour has agreed to open the Lizi-Nechung port across the Korala border at the earliest date and build necessary infrastructure on Nepal’s side of the border.

Currently Zhangmu/Khasa port across Tatopani is operating freight functions while Jilong Keyrung port on the other side of Rasuwagadhi will come into operation shortly.

China has supported Nepal in the construction of Larcha Dry Port at Tatopani border and is constructing Timure Dry Port at Rasuwagadhi border point which has witnessed the increased trade activities following the devastation of the former in the 2015 earthquake.

Tunnel along the Keyrung-Kathmandu road is also included in the joint statement. Currently, China and Nepal have agreed to conduct feasibility study of the project.

 In an effort to facilitate cross-border movement of goods and people the northern neighbour is also helping Nepal in developing the Syaphrubensi-Rasuwagadhi road as a two-lane highway.

In another effort to create long-term connectivity infrastructure, China has agreed to upgrade and reconstruct the Araniko Highway connecting Kathmandu to Tatopani-Khasa.

Similarly, China will be supporting Nepal in developing three north-south corridors – Koshi, Gandaki and Karnali Economic Corridors. “It will create jobs and improve livelihood of locals and stimulate economic growth and development,” read the joint statement. 

The two sides agreed to strengthen cooperation in various fields of economy, including trade, tourism, investment, capacity of production and improving people's livelihood so as to promote mutual development.

President Xi’s visit has also facilitated Nepal to have greater direct air services to China as the two countries have welcomed the consensus between their civil aviation authorities on expanding the air rights arrangement to operate more direct air services.  

Nepal will also get assistance for training its technical human resources in railway, road and tunnel engineering, inland waterways and shipping.

Expanding export to China

China has assured that it would take positive measures to expand Nepal’s export to China.

It has agreed to consider providing technical support for the establishment of multifunctional laboratory in Nepal and extend cooperation to make Tatopani Frontier Inspection Station at Larcha fully functional.

At the same time, Nepal will facilitate the Chinese banks to open their branches and other financial services in Nepal to facilitate trade and investment between the two countries. Nepali private sector has long been demanding the operationalisation of the Chinese banks in Nepal in order to make the trade and economic activities between the two countries formal.

According to the Ministry of Finance, the government is trying to bring a Chinese bank in joint-venture with a Nepali bank, but the former is interested to open its branch instead of a JV. 

Likewise, the two neighbours have agreed to establish working groups on investment cooperation and trade under the framework of Nepal-China Joint Commission on Economy and Trade, to facilitate the respective activities. 

The two countries will sign an MoU on cooperation on Import and Export of Food Safety in near future. They signed a protocol on phyto-sanitary requirements for the Export of Citrus Fruits from Nepal to China. 

According to the joint statement, energy exchange between the two countries is likely to happen soon as they agreed to carry out Nepal-China Electric Power Cooperation Plan and complete it within one year. 

They also agreed to take this plan as an important reference for the next step of bilateral electric power cooperation and promote its implementation. There will be greater exchanges and cooperation in hydropower, wind power, solar power, biomas energy and other kinds of new energies and grid systems. 

Tapping on the aspiration of Nepal, the world’s second largest economy has assured its support in establishing a multidisciplinary Madan Bhandari University for Science and Technology and promised to start work immediately after the government chooses a suitable site for the institution. 

The two neighbours also signed an agreement for Boundary Management system to enhance and improve the level of cooperation in the area. They said that a joint scientific research would be conducted to measure the height of Sagarmatha (Zhumulangma). 

China has also promised its support to promote Visit Nepal Year 2020 in China through various activities and said that it would welcome Nepal to participate in the travel marts being organised in China.

Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 14 October 2019. 

Grand Reception for President Xi

Bhandari for Lumbini-Keyrung rail, Xi Assures land-linked Nepal

Kathmandu, Oct. 12

President of the People’s Republic of China Xi Jinping, who arrived in Kathmandu on Saturday evening on a two-day State visit, said Nepal and China had nothing but friendship. 


“We have model friendship in the world, and there is no issue between the two countries but friendship,” he said while speaking at the State Banquet organised by President Bidya Devi Bhandari in his honour at Soaltee Hotel. 


President Xi said that he and his Nepali counterpart Bhandari had agreed to develop a relations, friendship and partnership that would help in development and prosperity for many generations to come. 


He assured that more reliable and easier connectivity facility between the two countries would be constructed in the near future. 


Maintaining that China would expedite the development of Trans-Himalayan Multi-Dimensional Connectivity infrastructure, he said, “We want to support Nepal in realising its dream to become a land-linked country from the landlocked country.”


He announced that China will provide support in conducting the feasibility study of Keyrung-Kathmandu railway, upgrading the Arniko Highway and constructing Keyrung-Kathmandu tunnel way. 


President Xi expressed his commitment to further support in the post-quake reconstruction, promoting Visit Nepal Year 2020, support education sector and urban development in the country. 


He is happy that the leadership of both the countries together made it possible to develop and implement a new framework of friendship and plans. 


“I am hopeful that there will be more cooperation between Nepal and China at multilateral platforms,” he said. 


According to Xi, Buddhism has become a local religion in China, and many Chinese want to visit Nepal and Lumbini, and in future there will be more religious exchanges. 


He also said that China was ever ready to conserve Sagarmatha region and support Nepal’s genuine demands regarding the issue of climate change.





President Bhandari, in her welcome remarks, appreciated China for its support in Nepal’s development efforts and cooperation at the international platforms. 


“Nepal and China have been standing together and extending cooperation in multilateral platform for peace, stability and development,” she said.  


Geographically Nepal and China are close friends while history and culture have helped in developing cordial relations, she said.


 “At this juncture, Nepal wants to express its commitment to taking the bilateral relations to a newer height.” 


She reiterated Nepal’s commitment to ‘One China Policy’ and not allowing any force to use Nepali land against China. 


President Bhandari said that the land of Lord Buddha expected Chinese support in developing Lumbini as a centre of world peace, and infrastructure improvement for cross-border connectivity. 


“Nepali people want to see Rasuwagadhi-Kathmandu-Lumbini railway connectivity being happened,” she said. 


According to her, since Nepal’s internal resources are not sufficient to meet the ambition to become a middle-income country by 2030, it needs more foreign investment. The country wants Chinese investment in the productive sectors like infrastructure, energy and tourism, she said. 


“The government will assure security to the investment made in Nepal,” President Bhandari said. 


She also said that Nepal expected support of the Chinese government in Visit Nepal Year 2020, conserving mountain ecology and combating the impact of climate change. 


She informed President Xi that the government was holding an international forum ‘Sagarmatha Sambad’ and said Nepal expected high-level participation from China. 


Nepal is organising ‘Sagarmatha Sambad’ – an international dialogue, in March 2020, and the main agenda of the first summit would be climate change. 


As the global warming has created alarming situation in the mountains and plains equally, and the country wants to draw the attention to the climate change impacts on Himalayas, environment and people, the first Sambad will be focused on the same theme.



President Bidya Devi Bhandari on Saturday welcomed her Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping upon his arrival at the Tribhuvan International Airport. 


Vice-President Nanda Bahadur Pun, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, Chairman of the National Assembly Ganesh Prasad Timilsina, Deputy Prime Ministers,  Minister for Foreign Affairs Pradeep Kumar Gyawali, ministers, head of the constitutional bodies and other high-level government officials accompanied President Bhandari to welcome Chinese President Xi at the Tribhuvan International Airport. 


President Bhandari had also introduced the DPMs and ministers to her Chinese counterpart.

Later in the evening, the two presidents held a bilateral meeting at Sheetal Niwas and deliberated on the issues of bilateral concerns and Nepal-China relations. 


During the bilateral meeting, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence, Home Minister, Foreign Affairs Minister, Women, Children and Senior Citizens Minister, Minister for water Supply and high level officials of Nepal and Chinese governments were present.

Leader of the main opposition party Nepali Congress Sher Bahadur Deuba met President Xi at Soaltee Hotel. 


President Bhandari organised a state banquet in Xi’s honour where he and Chinese delegation were served with typical Nepali delicacies.  


The Air China plane carrying him from Chennai, India, landed at the TIA at about 16:45 in the afternoon. 


A battalion of Nepal Army presented a guard of honour to the visiting guest, and various cultural shows, including exhibits from all seven States provinces, were presented at the airport and along the route to Soaltee Hotel. Thousands people stood by the road and waved the national flags of Nepal and China to welcome the Chinese President. 


The visit by a Chinese president is taking place in an interval of 23 years. Earlier,  Jiang Zemin had visited Nepal in 1996. Nepal long wanted to have top level Chinese visit, especially in an effort to diversify its sickening international trade and obtain the latter’s expertise and economic support in infrastructure, primarily connectivity and energy. 


The country wants cross-border road and railway connectivity with China, more Chinese investment and tourists to make the Visit Nepal Year 2020 a success in the short term and to achieve the national aspiration of ‘Prosperous Nepal, happy Nepali’.

Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 13 October 2019. 

Nepal’s rapid development hinges on railway connectivity

Kathmandu, Aug 3

Nepal is waiting to use multiple cargo entry points with railway connectivity to ease its international trade and get alternative routes to other Indian sea ports like Dhamra in Odisha and Mundra in Gujrat which are the facilities the country had asked the southern neighbour to provide. Nepal is allowed to use Kolkata, Haldia and Bishakhapattanam ports in India so far. 

Indian Special Secretary (Logistics) at the Ministry of Commerce and Industry N. Sivasailam last week said that India was positive for allowing Nepali importers to change the freight destination points at the Nepal-India border. 

While the country eyes large railway projects as one of the key elements for the rapid industrial and economic development, its aspirations are connected with the cross-border railways with India and China. 

Since Nepal's two-third trade happens with India which is also the largest export market, and more than 95 per cent goods move through the southern border points, the government wants to expedite the development of cross-border railways which seems to be reciprocated by the southern neighbour.

Indian Ambassador to Nepal Manjeev Singh Puri has recently said that Nepal-India cross-border railway and inland waterway projects were in the priority and they would witness progress soon.

Jayanagar-Janakpur-Bardibas, Jogbani-Biratnagar, Jalpaigudi-Kakarbhitta, Nautanawa-Bhairahawa and Rupaidiha-Nepalgunj are the five cross-border railway projects. Nepal and India had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for these projects in 2010. 

The Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport (MoPIT) said that the Jayanagar-Janakpur-Kurtha railway line (35 km) was completed and would come into operation by October this year while train service would be started at the 17 km long Kurtha-Bijalpura extension of the same track by March 2020.

The Jayanagar-Janakpur-Bijalpura railway will be expanded up to Nijgadh of Bara via Bardibas of Mahottari district. The construction is completed at Bardibas-Lalbandi section (30 km) and 40 km long Lalbandi-Nijgadh will be completed in 2.5 years from now. 

 Likewise, Bathnaha-Birathagar Railway has witnessed more than 50 per cent progress with 10 km of the total 18 km long track completed. The DoR is set to operate railway service in this track in the current fiscal year 2019/20. 

Feasibility of Raxaul-Kathmandu Railway completed

The Ministry has also completed the feasibility report of the Raxaul-Kathmandu Railway (135 km) and Kathmandu-Rasuwagadhi (72 km). The Raxaul-Kathmandu Railway line will come up to Chobhar Dry Port – under construction now – and will connect Birgunj, Jitpur and Nijgadh. The 140 km long track will have 50 km long tunnel. 

Similarly, Kathmandu-Rasuwagadhi Railway will be 72.25 km long and about 98 per cent of the track would either be in bridges or tunnels. The estimated cost of this ambitious project is Rs. 257 billion. 

"The government has completed the Detailed Project Report (DPR) of different projects with 421 km length," said Balram Mishra, Director General of the Department of Railways (DoR). 

He said that the study for the DPR of Rasuwagadhi-Kathmandu Railway and Birgunj-Kathmandu Railway would be initiated in the near future with the support from the India government.

Land Procurement Challenge

Mishra said that the land acquisition for the railway line and station was meeting multiple glitches at various locations. Likewise, there is delay in getting approval to cut down trees in the forest area, and to manage river-based construction materials. 

"We have been directed to procure land at the government-set rate but it is impossible to buy land at that price. However, we have proposed the average of bank transaction of the land, its selling rate and rate of land revenue as the procurement price," said Mishra.

Train in three months

The DoR is in the process of procuring two DEMU (Diesel Electric Multiple Unit) train sets from the Konkan Railway Corporation Limited, an Indian government enterprise, at the cost of Rs. 846.5 million. 

However, it had missed the deadlines to bring the trains in Nepal. Earlier the DoR had said that the locomotives would arrive in Nepal by mid-May but due to delay in communication and other technical requirements, they will come after about 3 months. 

The trains will have 5 to 10 bogies with an engine at the front and back. 

According to Mishra, the DoR is undergoing through human resources shortage. 

While most of the officials and technicians at the DoR were transferred from the Department of Roads, the former is planning to revive the erstwhile Nepal Railway Company (NRC) and use it as the human resource development centre. 

NRC was a government agency that operated Janakpur-Jayanagar Railway service in the past and is unfunctional since 2014. 

Railway Timeline

1927: British built first railway in the country to connect Amlekhgunj of Nepal with Raxaul in India

1937: Jayanagar-Janakpur Railways constructed

1965: Raxaul-Amlekhgunj Railway closed

2001: Janakpur-Bijalpura Railway service closed

2005: Indian Railways was connected to Sirsiya Inland Container Depot (ICD) in Birgunj

2008: Establishment of East-West Electrified Railway Project

2009: Feasibility of Mechi-Mahakali Railway (945 km), Kathmandu-Pokhara Railway (187 km) and Bharatpur-Aanbukhaireni Railway (72.7 km)

2010: MoU signed with India for cross-border railway development

2011: Establishment of Department of Railway

2018: MoU signed with China on cooperation in railway projects.

            MoU signed with India on preliminary survey of Kathmandu-Raxaul Railway

            Janakpur-Jayanagar-Kurtha Railway line constructed

2019: Government decides to buy 2 DEMU train from India

Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 4 August 2019. 

Janakpur-Jayanagar train operation to miss deadline

Kathmandu, June 15: The operation of train service in Janakpur-Jayanagar section won't happen by the end of this month as the Department of Railway (DoR) had claimed in March this year.

After receiving Rs. 350 million in addition to the previously provided Rs. 500 million and the government's green signal to buy two trains from India in a government-to-government contract, the DoR had planned to bring in two train sets by the end of June and start rail service in the railway track that has been completed many months ago.

Earlier, the department had said that the locomotives would come to Nepal by mid-May but later postponed the deadline citing delay in getting the Cabinet's approval, and the process to communicate with the Indian train building company, invite the proposal and evaluate it.

 Earlier, the government had successfully conducted the final test operation of the 35-km long Janakpur-Jayanagar railway track. Machines were brought from India for the test since the government had no locomotives to start the service.

The government had decided to buy trains after its plan to procure trains from India in a wet lease could not be materialised.

The DoR said that the delay in signing the contract agreement with the Indian-government owned Konkan Railway Corporation Limited and recent general elections in India pushed the deadlines further.

"We have signed the contract agreement with the Indian company but it has not yet asked for the advanced payment to build trains. But, the department is hopeful that it the process will be completed in a week," said Aman Chitrakar, Senior Divisional Engineer and Spokesperson at the DoR.

The long period of general elections in India delayed the process, he said.

According to him, the first set of train will come to Nepal within three months. It means the train will arrive approximately after a year from the initial announcement of operation.

The DoR is buying DEMU (Diesel Electric Multiple Unit) trains at the cost of Rs. 846.59 million. These machines with 5 car sets have double engines at both sides.

The department also plans to revive the Railway Company that used to operate the Janakpur-Jayanagar train service to use it as a human resource development centre.

However, there is no alternative to bring technical manpower from India along with the trains.

Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 16 June 2019. 

Train delays by a month

DoR revises train procurement deadline, plans to buy two trains at Rs. 486.5m

Kathmandu, Mar. 21: Following the recent government decision to provide additional Rs. 350 million to the Department of Railway (DoR) and the Cabinet’s approval to go ahead to buy two trains, the DoR is planning to operate railway services in Kurtha-Jayanagar section within three months from now.

Earlier, it had said that the locomotives would arrive in Nepal by mid-May, but the deadline has been pushed to mid-June.

“The process to communicate with the Indian company, invite the proposal and evaluate it took more time than anticipated,” said Balram Mishra, Director General of the DoR.

The Cabinet meeting this week had given green signal to the DoR to procure two-sets of DEMU (Diesel Electric Multiple Unit) trains at the cost of Rs. 846.59 million from Indian government-owned Konkan Railway Corporation Limited.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Finance (MoF) has confirmed the allocation of Rs. 350 million to the department. The department received the letter of confirmation a few days ago. Rs. 500 million had been allocated earlier for the train procurement.

The trains, with 5-car sets with double engines at both sides, are being procured through the government to government agreement between the two countries.

The department is planning to invite Konkan Railway officials for the purchase agreement and request them to send trains within two months although the company has proposed to provide the rails in three months.

“Our aim is to operate train services at the earliest, so we will apply every measure to make it happen,” said Mishra.

He said that a team of Railway Department would visit the factory to observe the products.

As there is no private company to make the trains in India, the government-run company generally takes about three months to make a locomotive that means Nepal is unlikely to receive the trains before that time.

Plan to revive Railway Company

Mishra said that the department has a plan to revive the Railway Company that used to operate rail service in the past, and use it as a human resource centre.

“Non-technical staff will be created in the country while the technical manpower will be brought from India with the trains,” he said.

Nepal has to procure the train from India as other countries do not produce the broad gauge rails. They are using narrow-gauge, standard gauge and other railway formats.

The Janakpur-Jayanagar Railway service was announced to be started in December 12 last year, but this could not happen due to the lack of train and trained manpower.

Earlier, the DoR was working to procure a train from India in a wet lease to run the service in the Janakpur-Jayanagar section, but it had changed the plan and decided to buy it instead.

Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 22 March 2019. 

New trains likely to arrive in a few months

Kathmandu, Feb. 2: If all goes well, Nepal will have two trains by the first month of the Nepali New Year 2076 – April/May 2019.

The government has decided to procure two DEMU (Diesel Electric Multiple Unit) Train sets having 5 to 10 bogies with an engine each at the front and back.

These trains are good for shuttle service, such Janakapur-Jayanagar.

"The government has released Rs. 500 million for the initial work of procurement. We need about Rs. 1.5 billion to buy the trains and bring them into operation," said Balram Mishra, Director General of Department of Railways (DoR).

The Indian government has agreed to provide the first two trains built for Nepal and has sent a proposal which is being evaluated by the government.

As there is no private company to make the trains in India, the government-run company generally takes about three months to make a locomotive, that means, Nepal is unlikely to receive the trains before that time.

"It takes time to procure a train. We have just received the proposal from the Indian company, it should be evaluated and there will be another agreement to make the procurement," said Mishra.

Nepal has to procure the train from India as other countries do not produce the broad gauge rails. They are using narrow-gauge, standard gauge and other railway formats.

Although Nepal has more than a dozen railway plans such as Mechi-Mahakali Railway, Keyrung-Kathmandu-Lumbini Railway, Metro Trains in various cities and Nepal-India cross-border railways, the country does not have a train.

Janakpur-Jayanagar Railway service was announced to be started in December 12 last year but this could not happen due to the lack of train and trained manpower.

Earlier, the DoR was working to procure a train from India in a wet lease to run the service in the Janakpur-Jayanagar section.

Wet-lease means hiring a train, including its staff and technicians.

"But, we have changed the plan and decided to buy trains instead. But, since we severely lack the technicians and railway engineers, required human resources will be outsourced for at least a year in order to train the existing Nepali human resources and prepare new ones," said Mishra.

Nepal had requested India, in July last year, to send experts required for the service launching.

Both India and China had agreed to support Nepal in developing the manpower for railways, but there has been little progress in realising it.

Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 3 February 2019. 

Nepal proposes BIMSTEC charter development

Kathmandu, Aug. 24: Minister for Foreign Affairs Pradeep Kumar Gyawali said on Friday that Nepal has proposed developing a charter for the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC).

The regional mechanism, which was established 21 years ago, still does not have a charter to institutionalise cooperation among its seven members – Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Myanmar, Thailand and Sri Lanka.

A plan to establish thematic regional centres is also in the offing, Gyawali said at a press conference organised at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at Singha Durbar.

He said that the government had given final shape to the Kathmandu Declaration of BIMSTEC Summit 2018, being organised on the theme ‘Towards a peaceful, prosperous and sustainable Bay of Bengal region’.

“All the preparations for the Summit have been completed except for some small works. The Summit declaration and other agenda have been finalised and documented,” he said.

According to him, the BIMSTEC Summit will be attended by the Presidents of Myanmar and Sri Lanka -- Win Myint and Maithripala Sirisena -- and the Prime Ministers of India, Bangladesh and Thailand -- Narendra Modi, Sheikh Hasina and Prayut Chan-o-cha respectively.

Chief Advisor of the Interim Government in Bhutan Tshering Wangchuk will represent his country at the Summit.

All the chief executives will be accompanied by their foreign ministers and delegations.

Myanmar's President Myint will arrive Kathmandu on August 28 while Sirisena and Wangchuck will arrive on 29, and Modi and Chan-o-cha and Hasina will land here on August 30.

“Myint and Sirisena are also on bilateral visit to Nepal during their arrival for the Summit. Both of them will hold separate bilateral meetings with Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and go on a pilgrimage to Lumbini in separate visits,” said Gyawali.

Similarly, Indian Prime Minister Modi will hold bilateral meeting with PM Oli. Nepal and India are likely to ink an agreement on Railway Cooperation, which also includes the movement of Nepali ‘bulk cargo’ through india.

President Bidya Devi Bhandari is scheduled to meet the leaders of BIMSTEC member countries on August 30, the first day of the fourth BIMSTEC Summit, at a luncheon at Shital Niwas, the President’s Office.

PM Oli will inaugurate the Summit at the Soaltee Hotel in the afternoon on the same day. He will also host a dinner with a cultural programme for the high dignitaries the same evening.

The leaders will go for a retreat in the morning of August 31 and sign the Kathmandu Declaration.

Prior to the Summit, the Nineteenth Senior Officials’ Meeting (SOM) and Sixteenth Ministerial Meeting of BIMSTEC will be held on August 28 and 29 respectively in Kathmandu.

The SOM will deliberate on the Summit Agenda and Declaration, and make amendments if required, and the ministers will give final shape to it.

“Transport and communication connectivity, poverty alleviation, investment, trade and tourism, climate change and sustainability and security will be the major areas on which the leaders and delegations will be deliberating during the Summit and meetings,” said FM Gyawali.

He said that the member countries will sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to establish a BIMSTEC Grid Interconnection.

The 17^th session of the BIMSTEC Senior Officials' Meeting (SOM) held in Kathmandu in February 2017 had expressed their readiness to sign the MoU at the third Energy Ministers’ Meeting in March this year. But it couldn’t be signed during the ministers’ meeting.

The MoU will facilitate other BIMSTEC countries to import hydropower from Myanmar and exchange power.

This deal is in line with the SAARC Framework Agreement for Energy Cooperation, which aims to set up a South Asian Regional Grid for cross-border power trade.

Meanwhile, speaking at a talk programme on ‘BIMSTEC: Connecting South and Southeast Asia’, organised by Centre for South Asian Studies in Kathmandu, Foreign Minister Gyawali said that the importance of BIMSTEC lay in connecting these two regions for the shared benefit and prosperity of the peoples of the Bay of Bengal region.

“BIMSTEC is well positioned to make notable contributions towards advancing regional connectivity, linking SAARC and ASEAN. For a landlocked country like Nepal, BIMSTEC carries more significance. It bears the prospects for propelling economic growth by connecting the hinterlands of the Himalayas to the ports of Bay of Bengal,” he said.

According to him, BIMSTEC will create a linkage between the south Asian and east Asian countries.

Nepal assumed the chairmanship of BIMSTEC after its third Summit meeting held in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar, in March 2014.

Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 25 August 2018. 

DTC asks Infra Ministry to prepare five-year master plan

Kathmandu, Aug. 16: 

The Development and Technology Committee (DTC) of the Parliament has asked the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Development (MoPIT) to prepare a detailed report of the infrastructure target for the next five years.

Following the lawmakers' demand at the DTC meeting on Thursday that the ministry should have a clear roadmap of the railways and highways to be developed in the coming five years, committee chairman Jip Chhiring Lama directed the MoPIT to develop the outline of the development works for the coming years.

The DTC also asked the ministry to submit the details of infrastructure projects currently in operation, their progress report, as well as the expenditure for such projects in the last fiscal year 2017/18, including transfer of funds and non-budgetary expenses.

The parliamentary committee made a special note on the delay in completing the national pride projects and directed the government to ensure their timely completion.

 “The ministry should also work on the ways to make the prevailing laws development-friendly,” said the decision of the DTC.

It asked for greater and effective coordination and collaboration among the three levels of government for infrastructure development, clarify the work area for the respective government and enhance local bodies' capacity.

Lawmaker Ganesh Pahadi said that some of the local units did not allocate budget to the infrastructure projects such as roads that were handed over to them as per the new Constitution. Many of such projects have become nobody’s concerns.

Another lawmaker Aasha Kumari BK said that the entire Karnali province is facing severe crisis of quality infrastructure while many local units do not have road connectivity.

Lawmakers expressed their concerns about the growing number of vehicle accidents, railway development, corruption in the development projects and pathetic condition of the roads in the Kathmandu Valley.

Minister for Physical Infrastructure and Transport Raghubir Mahaseth said that the ministry was sincere in completing the development works in time, but it lacked sufficient human resources, technology and blasting materials.

He also said that the construction and upgrading of the Kalanki-Nagdhunga and Chabhil-Sankhu road would be expedited within a few days as the continuous rain was disturbing the work.

“Both the roads will be fit for smooth traffic movement by the end of this fiscal year 2018/19,” he stated.

Rabindra Nath Shrestha, Director General at the Department of Roads (DoR), said that the roads in the valley would have no more mud and dust after August 26 as the major roads had been renovated for the upcoming BIMSTEC Summit 2018.

Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 17 August 2018.