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The construction for the Kathmandu-Tarai Expressway began in August 2017 with the Nepal Army starting construction for the project. The project was supposed to be completed in 4 years by August 2021 but after being nowhere near complete, the date was pushed back by 3 years to July 2024 and then to December 2024. Still, seeing the delays and bureaucracy, it is uncertain whether the project will finish by the projected deadline.
The chief of the Kathmandu-Tarai Expressway has confirmed that the work on this project will complete by the stated date unless something comes in their way. But seeing that three years' worth of construction amounts to only 21% by the end of the current fiscal year and the projects needs to finish 25% per year to finish by December 2024, it seems highly unlikely. Sluggish construction work and uncertainty in budget allocation can cause further delays.
But there already is trouble in the Khokana area, the entry point of the project. The residents of this area are refusing to give the government 411 ropanis of lands needed for the project and an additional 300 ropanis for a parking space and dry port. In addition to this, with plans of making an electricity transmission line, an outer-ring road and the Bagmati Corridor pass and developing the city into a smart city, the residents think that these new projects will displace them from their lands.
Yet it is to be determined whether the Nepal Army will get enough to carry out the construction of this project in time. The army has projected that it will need Rs 188 billion in the next 3 years, which will mean about Rs 62 billion annually to complete the project. This is more than the entire budget of the Ministry of Defense which amounts to only Rs 51 billion. While the Ministry of Finance and Defense has already ensured that the government will provide the needed budget, it is yet to be seen whether the construction and implementation of this project will go according to plan.
Photo Credit: [Nepal Army]
