PM Karki inspects Kathmandu-Terai Expressway, urges protection of cultural heritage

KATHMANDU: Prime Minister Sushila Karki has said development works, including road infrastructure, should not affect religious beliefs and cultural heritage during an inspection of the Kathmandu-Terai/Madhesh Fast Track (Expressway) Road Project.

At a programme organised for the inspection in Khokana, Lalitpur, today, Prime Minister Karki instructed the road construction task force to take local concerns seriously and seek solutions. “Local concerns must be addressed with seriousness to find a solution. If necessary, one should be prepared to change the alignment and even the zero point. Our development works should move forward without hurting their faith,” she said, adding that arrangements should be made for adequate open spaces while constructing physical structures.

The Prime Minister stressed the importance of open spaces for disaster response and community life. “Open spaces are necessary during natural disasters, and they are also required for people’s movement, fairs, festivals and gatherings. Therefore, the notion that structures must be built as soon as a space is seen should be abandoned. Projects and structures should be designed by leaving sufficient vacant and open spaces during the planning phase itself,” she said.

Earlier, the Nepali Army (NA) Chief of the Army Staff (COAS), General Ashok Raj Sigdel, and project chief, Major General Dharmendra Jha, briefed the Prime Minister on the project’s current progress, challenges, and other matters. The Prime Minister’s inspection team included the Minister for Physical Infrastructure and Transport, the Foreign Minister and secretaries from various ministries.

Work on the route, which is being constructed under the management of the Nepali Army, was delayed initially because of the time taken to approve the detailed project report (DPR). Physical progress on the 70.977-kilometre project has currently reached around 45%.

More than 87 bridges are to be constructed under the expressway, some of which are of a special nature and reach up to 82 metres in height. The NA said these bridges are in the final stages of construction and that the project will be completed by the scheduled date of April 13, 2027, within the initial estimated cost of Rs 213 billion.

The expressway will provide a direct, short-distance connection between the Kathmandu Valley and the central Tarai. Once completed, it is expected to significantly reduce the cost and time of transporting goods from Tarai to Kathmandu and to provide substantial support to the country’s economic development. The project also includes seven tunnels, and the NA said it is making efforts to complete the work according to project goals.

(With inputs from RSS)