Govt gives building Fast Track road on its own a good thought

KATHMANDU, NOV 10 -After efforts to have international companies construct the Kathmandu-Terai Fast Track failed miserably, the government is considering using its own resources to build the much-prioritized project.

Secretary at the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport (MoPIT) Tulasi Prasad Sitaula said a plan to use government resources and build the project in a phased manner is under consideration.

The rejection by three Indian firms from participating in the request for proposal (RFP) to construct the project was a major disappointment to the government as it had spent more than four years to select eligible companies.

Sitaula said the government could go for an option of building a two-lane road initially, instead of the proposed four-lane standard. “In the second stage, we can go for bridges and then for four lanes and all this due to budget constraints,” he said. The project requires an estimated Rs 100 billion.

Sitaula said that at least three options, including this one, would be taken forward to the steering committee of the project, which is headed by the Physical Infrastructure Minister. With the government machineries all engaged in the November 19 poll preparations, Situala said the steering committee will not meet before the polls.


As a new government will be formed after the election, the incumbent government is hesitating to take far- reaching decisions, according to a ministry official.

The project implementing agency—the MoPIT—is working over different options. An option of developing a common alignment for both Fast Track and Kathmandu-Hetauda tunnel highway within the first 20km from Kathmandu is also being mulled over. It is estimated that the common alignment will reduce the cost of the project by Rs 20 billion.

After the government failed to receive the RPF from the selected Indian firms, the future of the 76-km project linking the Capital with the Tarai is uncertain.

The Fast Track road is one of the 21 projects listed as national pride projects. About two months ago, Indian companies—Reliance Infrastructure, Infrastructure Leasing & Financial Services (IL&FS) and Larsen and Turbo (L&T)—did not submit the RFP. The call to invest in the Fast Track road in the ‘build-own-operate and transfer (BOOT) modality did not go down well with them.

So far, the government has spent around Rs 2 billion for the track opening by the Nepal Army (NA) and land acquisition and compensation distribution. The NA, last year, completed the track opening from Chhalnakhel of Lalitpur to Nijgadh in Bara. However, the issue of land acquisition in Khokana, Lalitpur, has remained unsolved till date.

For the past four years, the MoPIT has not been able to convince Khokana locals when it comes to acquiring land for an 8-km alignment. The Khokana area is the starting point of the expressway and links Kathmandu Valley with Nijgadh where the government has also been planning to build the country’s second international airport.