Development activities gain pace under PM Oli’s initiation

Kathmandu: One year into the government leadership of Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, the national pride projects and other development works have gained significant pace.

he progress has been realised after PM Oli’s resolution to ‘complete the ongoing works’ and repeated prodding to the ministers and secretaries for the same.

The Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers is regularly monitoring and conducting follow-ups so that development works can gain pace, thereby meeting the deadline.

After Prime Minister Oli showed special concern on the projects that were stalled and faced disputes, delays for various reasons like low budgets, such problems have fizzled out.

As a result, the Muglin-Pokhara road (eastern section), which serves as a national highway, has neared completion, while the construction of the Kamala-Kanchanpur roadway halted for long has been resumed, achieving a 66 percent success rate in this section.

In the Narayangadh-Butwal road section, where it was essential to invalidate the contract during the previous governments, over 70 percent of the work has been completed after the Prime Minister took the initiative himself.

Amidst the controversy over the entrance point, the progress of the Kathmandu–Terai/Madhes Fast Track has increased from 35 percent to 42.13 percent. The eastern section of the Kakadbhitta–Laukahi has made 22.12 from 6 percent, and the western section saw 22 percent 4.7 percent progress.

The Muglin–Pokhara road has posted the progress of 82.74 percent, while the western section has moved from 45 percent to 54.1 percent, as shared by Secretary of the Prime Minister’s Office, Raj Kumar Shrestha.

The Nagdhunga Tunnel recorded the progress 92.5 percent, and the Siddhababa Tunnel 58.3 percent, he added. Some projects such as the Kamala–Dhalkebar–Pathlaiya road and the Butwal–Gaurusinghe–Chanouta road made 10.91 percent and 12.23 percent, respectively.

The Kaligandaki Corridor has progressed from 64.8 percent to 79.8 percent, while the Beni–Jomsom–Korola section from 72 percent to 85 percent, and the Tamor Corridor advanced from 25 percent to 56 percent.

Under the active leadership of PM Oli, various projects including the Terai/Madhes Fast Track, the construction of the East-West Highway from Kankadvitta to Laukahi in Sunsari, and the expansion and upgrading of the Mid-Hill Highway made momentum. According to Prime Minister Oli’s personal secretary Binod Bahadur Kunwar, the long-stalled construction of the Butwal-Gorusinge-Chandrauta road has reached the contract signing stage after special monitoring by this government and clearing the site.

The present government is working to dividing the East-West Highway into eight main sections across the country, prioritizing the north-south routes recognized as commercial and strategic trade corridors between Nepal, India and China that connect Humla to the national road network.

The coalition government of UML and Nepali Congress has initiated projects of ‘one constituency, one strategic road’ throughout the country, alongside the construction of the Madan Bhandari Highway, Postal Highway, and Mid-Hill Local Road as part of the national road map.

Special focus is on infrastructure development, including the construction of national highways with Asian standards, the construction of local roads, expansion of road lanes, and construction of tunnel as well.

It is worth remembering that the tunnel route materialized during the previous Oli government, and the government is preparing for operation of vehicle in the Nagdhunga tunnel route soon.

Despite technical challenges, the Siddhababa tunnel route has made 58 percent progress. The Oli-led government has completed the Gwarko overpass. There is a strategy to implement this technology in other cities as well.

The Postal Highway has achieved nearly 73 percent progress. Total 932 km of roads has been blacktopped by the present government.