Kathmandu, Feb. 5
Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli on Wednesday received
a briefing on the progress, existing challenges, and possible solutions
regarding the Kathmandu-Tarai/Madhes Expressway.
In a meeting held at the Office of the Prime
Minister and the Council of Ministers at the Singha Durbar and attended by
Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Bishnu Prasad Paudel, Minister for
Physical Infrastructure and Transport Devendra Dahal, Minister for Defence
Manbir Rai, PM’s Economic Affairs Advisor Dr. Yubaraj Khatiwada and Chief of
Army Staff Ashok Raj Sigdel, PM inquired about the overall financial and
physical progress made in the national pride project that would be the shortest
connection between the Tarai and the Capital city Kathmandu.
The project is being built by the Nepali
Army.
According to a statement issued by the PMO,
the Nepali Army presented long-standing delays in land acquisition at Khokana
in Lalitpur district, where the project begins, and slow progress in tree
clearance within the project area as the key challenges.
However, Prime Minister Oli expressed
confidence that the Army would ensure quality work, as the government had
entrusted them with the project after careful consideration. He instructed the
concerned ministries to further assess the Khokana land acquisition issue and
propose a solution.
The Kathmandu-Tarai Expressway spans 70.97
km and has an estimated cost of Rs. 211.93 billion. The project was initiated
in 2017 and revised deadline is March 2027. According to the Nepali Army, the
project has so far achieved 37.6 per cent physical progress and 39.74 per cent
financial progress.
As per the initial project design, it
should have been completed last year.
The expressway begins at Khokana in
Lalitpur and ends in Nijgadh of Bara district. It will have six tunnels of a
total 10.055 km and 89 bridges of 12.88 km.
Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 6 February 2025.
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