Track opening works in Koshi, Kaligandaki corridors to complete by 2015/16

KATHMANDU, May 13:

Government official says works to open tracks for Koshi and Kaligandaki River projects would by completed by 2015/16.

Track opening works on Kaligandaki River corridor will be completed by the next fiscal year, while works on Koshi corridor are likely to be completed by mid-2015/16, Gopal Prasad Sigdel, chief of North-South Lokamarga Project, said.

Works on the 12-kilometer stretch in the Kaligandaki corridor are targeted to be completed by the end of this fiscal year. Similarly, works on five-kilometer segment have already been completed by the Nepal Army. Works on 18-kilometer segment in different parts of Baglung and Palpa district would be completed in the next fiscal year, Sigdel added.

According to Sigdel, two excavators have been sent to Kimathanka of Sankhuwasabha district via the Tatopani Customs Point to open track to Khandbari - the district headquarters of Sankhuwasabha. The project has already invited tender to open track in the 20-kilomter stretch.

Similarly, the project has already awarded tender to open track on 40-kilometer stretch upward from Khandbari. Track opening has already been completed in 72 kilometer of the 162-kilometer corridor. According to officials, works on the remaining 30 km will be completed by mid-2015/16.

Officials are hopeful of timely completion of the works on two north-south road projects that connect Tibet Autonomous Region of China with India. National Planning Commission (NPC) has proposed to allocate Rs 1.25 billion for the project in the next fiscal year. The government has allocated Rs 500 million for the project in the current fiscal year.

Works on two corridors might complete in time. But it would take about a decade to complete track opening works in Karnali corridor projects that connects Khulalu of Kalikot to Hilsa of Humla that borders with Tibet. Of the 195 kilometers, track opening works in 25 kilometers in the Simikot-Hilsa section would be completed within this fiscal year. The contractors have brought excavators to open tracks from Tibet. They took some excavators to the project site on helicopters. Opening of track (10 km) northward from Khulal will be completed in this fiscal year.

Once the track opening works on Simikot-Hilsa section is complete, works to open tracks along the Karnali River would begin.

After track opening works on Kaligandaki and Koshi corridors are complete, the project will begin widening and upgradation of the roads and focus on track opening works on the Karnali corridor, according to Sigdel.

All the three projects are national priority projects.

Source: Republica