The Ministry of Finance (MoF) took the new approach after Ministry of Physical Planning and Works (MoPPW) proposed hefty budget requirement to open and develop the tracks in four eastern hilly districts -- Sindhuli, Panchthar, Bhojpur and Khotang.[break]
“Our assessment suggests we need a budget of some Rs 10 billion for opening tracks in the four districts alone and link them with the existing segments of the highway,” said Saroj Man Shrestha, senior divisional engineer at MoPPW.
Such a huge investment will be necessary, if the government is to adhere to its original plan of extending the highway from Chiyo Bhanjyang in the eastern district of Panchthar to Jhulaghat in the far-western district of Baitadi, parallel to the existing east-west highway in Tarai, MoPPW has said in its proposal.
“We took the new approach and are knocking the doors of multiple donors as no single donor might pledge such a huge support,” a source at MoPPW told Republica.
Apart from this, the government believes mobilization of assistance from multiple sources at one go will also help it undertake the track connections and further development works in a simultaneous manner.
In the absence of simultaneous action, MoPPW has that said it would take years to complete the groundwork alone.
Going by its strategy, the government has segregated the stretch of the highway into four segments, including Galechowk-Chiyo Bhanjyang, Ghurmi-Khurkot, Leguwaghat-Bhojpur and Bhojpur-Diktel.
Officials at MoF said that the ministry has already approached the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, Japanese government, Department for International Development (DIFID) and China for the support.
“We have received positive response from the donors. However, they are yet to get a concrete shape,” a source added.
The government had unveiled the program to construct 1,736 km long mid-hills highway with high priority four years ago, tagging it as the project of national importance.
For its implementation, it had allocated more than Rs 700 million for opening and linking the whole track in 2008/09. In had further allocated some Rs 930 million in 2009/10. On top of that, MoF had further disbursed additional Rs 710 million to give momentum to the project earlier this year.
The total stretch includes 849 km of blacktopped roads and 449 km of earthen roads, while the remaining 435 km is under construction.
The proposed highway will be 8.5 meters wide and will be of four lanes. Concerned officials, however, have pushed the government to make it a six-lane highway, mainly referring to its plans like development of some 20 cities along its alignments, possible economic boom the mid-hills will witness and subsequent rise in movement of vehicles.
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