Currently, Department of Railway under the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport (MoPIT) is dealing with railway affairs, and Nepal Railway Company is operating the country’s only railway service — Janakpur-Jayanagar Railway.
“Since there is no immediate need of the board, we will not be forming it for now,” said Tulasi Prasad Sitaula, secretary at MoPIT. He, however, did not completely rule out the possibility of formation of the board in the future. “If the need for such a body is felt, it could be formed after endorsement of the Railway Regulation and a separate Act to govern the board,” Sitaula said.
Even as the government endorsed new Railway Act, it is yet to bring the regulation in line with the new Act. The new railway law is amendment to the old Railway Act enacted in 1963 focusing on Janakpur-Jayanagar railway. As per MoPIT, since the government was in initial phase of railway development, the existing railway department can very well handle the railway affairs.
However, an official at MoPIT said that the board could be more effective to speed up railway development by hiring experts as railway department lacks skilled government workforce equipped with knowledge about the sector.
Going by the Act, railway department has to be transformed into the board and chaired by the minister for physical infrastructure and transport and also dissolve Nepal Railway Company.
MoPIT has decided not to go for formation of the board as the railway department officials are showing low interest to work, if their department is transformed into the board. A high level official at the department said that the idea of handling railway affair through a board had come as ‘personal interest of some government officials’ who want to work in the board after retirement. The official added that railway
development works have already lagged behind due to negligence from the government and shortage of skilled government officials in
the sector.
Currently, the government is working on railway plans like Mechi Mahakali Electrical Project, Metro Rail in the Kathmandu Valley, improvement of Janakpur-Janayangar Railway and cross-border railway links with India. It is also considering carrying out a feasibility study on North-South railway links with a target to connect two neighbouring countries — India and China — as part of Trans-Asia Railway Network.
In the current fiscal year, the government is starting construction of railway with 5-km track bed in the Bardibas-Simara section of the Mechi-Mahakali railway and continue detailed project reports of other sections. The ambitious Mechi-Mahakali railway will connect Kakkarbhitta in the east with Gaddachauki in the west passing through the business hubs of the Terai. - See more at: http://thehimalayantimes.com/fullNews.php?headline=Govt+not+to+form+Railway+Board+for+now&NewsID=411120#sthash.foyNyo0s.dpuf
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