According to a statement issued by the Japanese Embassy on Thursday, Japanese Ambassador Tatsuo Mizuno and Finance Secretary Rameshar Prasad Khanal have signed and exchanged notes to this effect.
"The grant extended to the Government of Nepal today is specifically intended to be used for procuring the services necessary for the detailed design for the execution of (35.2km long) Section III (Khurkot-Nepalthok section) of the Sindhuli Road," said the statement. However, it doesn´t say how long it will take to complete the final phase of construction.The road to be constructed under the project is about 158km in length and is divided into four sections. Of the four sections, Section I (37km stretch from Bardibas to Sindhuli Bazar) and Section IV (50km from Nepalthok to Dhulikhel) have already been completed. Section II (35.8 km stretch from Sindhuli Bazar to Khurkot) is also near completion.
After completion of this road, the total road distance from Kathmandu to the eastern Tarai will be shortened by about 150km. "Once fully completed, it is believed that its economic and social impact will be undoubtedly substantial for the people of the Kathmandu Valley, as well as for the people residing along the Sindhuli Road and in the Eastern Tarai," added the embassy statement.
At present, a big construction project to upgrade a 9.1km segment of the Kathmandu-Bhaktapur section of Araniko Highway is in progress under grant assistance from Japan. The section is being expanded from the existing two-lane to four-lane.
"This Kathmandu-Bhaktapur road is designed to serve not only as a road to ensure the smooth transportation of goods and people between Kathmandu and Bhaktapur, but also to play an important role linking the Kathmandu Valley with the Eastern Tarai via the Araniko Highway and the Sindhuli Road," said the statement. "Therefore, the Sindhuli Road and the Araniko Highway to be connected with each other shall be a vitally important lifeline for New Nepal’s nation building."
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