-Narayan Neupane
Kathmandu, August 29: The Nepal Army has expressed its commitment to carry out works putting in all its efforts to complete the construction of the Kathmandu-Tarai/Madhes Fast-track within the deadline. The Fast-track is a strategic project of national pride. Addressing a news conference organized at the Army Headquarters yesterday, Army spokesman Brig. Gen. Bigyandev Pandey said there were no obstacles in speeding up the project’s construction as the DPR, human resources and the fund required for the project have been ensured now.
The Army organized the press conference with the objective of sharing information on the Detailed Project Report (DPT) and work progress of the project. The Council of Ministers, on August 18, had approved the DPR prepared by Susung Engineering and Consulting Company of Korea with revisions, in consultation with the ministry concerned.
The estimated construction cost of the project is Rs 175 billion 193 million 579 thousand including the value-added tax, the project chief, Sarad Lal Shrestha, said. The expressway will be constructed as per the Asian Highway category ‘A’ design standards. According to him, works related to the construction of special types of bridges and tunnels considered important in terms of moving ahead the project would be carried out simultaneously.
“Works would be moved ahead leaving no stone unturned to fulfill the responsibility within the next three and half years by mobilizing all the means and resources,” he said. Three tunnels- one each at Mahadevdanda, Dhedredanda, and Lendanda – would be constructed along the 72.5 kilometers long fast-track. Sixteen bridges of special nature, each with a height of 74 meters, will also need to be constructed.
The bridges will be about half a kilometer long. Nijgadh of Bara in the Tarai/Madhesh can be reached in one hour from Kathmandu following the construction of the fast-track. The three tunnels are 6.41 kilometers long and 87 bridges including the big and tall ones will be constructed. The construction works could not make progress as the DPR was not approved for five months and Rs 9 billion out of the Rs 15 billion earmarked for the fast-track project in the previous year was returned.
Assistant spokesman of the Ministry of Defence, Manoj Kumar Acharya said they have got a commitment from the Ministry of Finance that there would not be any shortage of budget for the construction of the fast-track. The expressway will be of four lanes and it will be 25 meters wide in the hilly region and 27 meters wide in the plains region.
There will be one inter-change each at Khokana, Budune, and Nijgadh and two resting places along the highway. The fast track’s work progress is cent percent on 25.44 kilometers up to sub-grade formation, it is 80 percent in 10 kilometers are and 50 to 80 percent in 16 kilometers, it was stated on the occasion.
It is said 96 percent progress has been made towards land acquisition works and 97 percent progress achieved towards cutting trees for the project. The government has allocated Rs 15 billion for the project in the current fiscal year. The Nepal Army is carrying out the construction works of the project by setting up camps at 10 places. RSS
