KATHMANDU, AUG 28 -The country saw opening of 3,000 km of new road s (dirt road ) in the last three fiscal years (2010-11 to 2012-13). This has taken the total length of strategic and central level road network to 25,241 km.
After the construction of 852 fresh road s in last fiscal year, the government exceeded the target (1,493 km) set for Three Year Interim Plan (2010-11 to 2012-13).However, the government could not achieve the target in other categories such as road upgradation, reconstruction, bridge construction and connecting four districts headquarters with road .
The total length of blacktopped, gravel and dirt road s reached 10,689 km, 5,930 km and 8,622 km, respectively, at the end of the last fiscal year, according to the Department of Roads. The department’s statistics presented at the annual review meeting held at the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport (MoPIT) on Tuesday show the government is yet to take road connection to Dunai of Dolpa and Simikot of Jumla.
As per the target of the three year plan, the road network reached to Ghamgadhi of Mugu in 2012-13and to Chhame of Manang in 2011-12, according to the MoPIT. Under rehabilitation/re-construction/upgradation categories, the government completed work on 2,006 km out of the targeted 3,752 km. Under the bridge segment, 167 bridges out of the targeted 200 were built. In the last fiscal year, the government built 74 new bridges.
Of Rs 28.55 billion allocated to the department for last fiscal year, the department spent Rs 21.82 billion (81.04 percent). In the last fiscal year, the government blacktopped 497 km and gravelled 641 km road . With this, the total length of all-weather blacktopped road has reached 10,689 km and gravel road 5,930 km.
“The progress achieved during the last fiscal year despite the failure to allocate resources through a full budget is good,” said the Minister for Physical Planning Chhabi Raj Pant at the programme. He instructed the officials to speed up work to achieve cent percent target this year as the budget has been announced on time.
At the meeting, representatives of the Nepal Army, which has been undertaking track opening work, said it would take around two years to establish road link in Dunai due to low budget allocation. The Jajarkot-Dunai road has been provided Rs 90 million this year against the requirement of Rs 220 million as underlined by the Nepal Army.
Tulasi Prasad Situala, secretary at MoPIT, asked the Nepal Army representatives to speed up work and assured providing the required budget for the road to Dunai. “We will provide the required budget to the Nepal Army so that it could bring Dolpa within the road network,” he said.
Strategic Road Network and Central Roads
Road Type 2012-13 2011-12 2010-11
Blacktopped 10,689 km 10,192 km 9,902 km
Graveled 5,930 km 5,787 km 5,670 km
Earthen Road 8,622 km 7,770 km 7,637 km
Progress in 2012-13
Road works Target Progress Progress %
New road s 1,051 km 852 km 81.17
Gravelling 902 km 640.9 km 71.05
Blacktopping 629.57 km 497.07 km 78.95
Periodic Maintenance 665 km 429 km 64.51
Bridge Construction 75 74 98.67
(Source: Department of Roads)
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