Under the North–South Trade Route Expansion Project, an amount of Rs 8.20 billion has been spent on the Kaligandaki Corridor (Beni–Jomsom–Korala) road. By FY 2081/82 BS, the project has utilized 82 percent of its proposed estimated cost of Rs 10.57 billion.
The 202-kilometer road section from Maldhunga in Parbat to the Nepal–China Korala border point, part of the national pride project connecting India and China, has already been opened for track access. Following a Cabinet decision on December 12, 2016 (Mangsir 12, 2073 BS), the Kaligandaki Corridor (Beni–Jomsom–Korala) road was established as a separate project. Since FY 2073/74 BS, the project has been continuously upgrading the 202-kilometer road in phases across Parbat, Myagdi and Mustang districts.
The latest revised completion deadline of the project has been proposed for FY 2082/83 BS. However, as the road needs to be blacktopped up to the Korala border point, the completion period is certain to be revised again.
Under the Kaligandaki Corridor Road Project, the targets include opening the 202-kilometer road track, gravelling 97 kilometers, blacktopping 105 kilometers, and constructing 19 bridges. According to Project Chief Tejaswi Sharma, by FY 2081/82 BS the project has already opened the full 202-kilometer track, completed gravelling on 94 kilometers, blacktopping on 88 kilometers, and constructed 14 bridges.
For the Korala road section, the project still needs to gravel three kilometers and blacktop 27 kilometers of road, including the 10-kilometer Kagbeni–Chhusang section, while new contracts need to be awarded for the remaining stretches. If the entire Kagbeni–Korala road section is blacktopped, the total estimated project cost could exceed Rs 15 billion, Sharma said. The project aims to upgrade and blacktop the entire 202-kilometer Korala road to double-lane standard and construct the required bridges.
For the current FY 2082/83 BS, Rs 681.3 million has been allocated for the Korala road. Of this allocation, the project has spent Rs 237.7 million, or 34.88 percent, in the first four months. Similarly, Rs 14.5 million has been allocated for strategic road bridge construction and bridge protection, but no financial expenditure has been made under this heading during the first four months of the fiscal year.
In the previous fiscal year, an initial capital budget of Rs 924.5 million was allocated to the project, which was later revised to Rs 938 million. Financial progress for the Korala road last year stood at Rs 999.6 million, while physical progress reached 100 percent, according to the project chief.
Last year, the project completed 10 kilometers of gravel road, 30 kilometers of blacktopped road, one road maintenance and upgrading work, and six permanent bridges. According to project records, expenditures for the national pride Korala road were Rs 459.3 million in FY 2073/74 BS, Rs 1.5128 billion in FY 2074/75 BS, Rs 1.31 billion in FY 2075/76 BS, Rs 902.5 million in FY 2076/77 BS, Rs 934.9 million in FY 2077/78 BS, Rs 848.6 million in FY 2078/79 BS, Rs 570.1 million in FY 2079/80 BS, Rs 727.8 million in FY 2080/81 BS, and Rs 937.7 million in FY 2081/82 BS.
Under the Korala road project, landslide control is required along a 200-meter stretch of the Maldhunga–Beni section. Road construction in a 900-meter stretch of the Maldhunga–Beni section within Beni Bazaar has been obstructed due to disputes, requiring resolution, realignment of the road, and the issuance of a new contract. Similarly, along a four-kilometer stretch from Beni to Tatopani, road stabilization and construction of the right-side footpath are required for landslide mitigation. Another 2.5-kilometer stretch from Tatopani to Jomsom in Myagdi also faces similar challenges requiring stabilization works and footpath construction.
Between Beni and Jomsom, four additional bridges—two each over the Tukuche, Bhurung Khola, and Bokshi Khola—need to be constructed. Under the Jomsom–Korala road section, Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and Detailed Project Report (DPR) have been completed for the 40-kilometer stretch from Chhusang to Ghami, which will require a multi-year contract worth Rs 2.04 billion for blacktopping.
Likewise, EIA and DPR have been completed for the 50-kilometer Ghami–Korala section, and the project has stated that a multi-year contract worth around Rs 3 billion will be required for its implementation.
