This is the same route that was proposed by the national army in 2001 as an alternative route to the closed road. As per the government´s new decision, a road, seven-meter wide, will be constructed using 11 ropanis of land. [break]
The meeting held at Prime Minister´s Office (PMO) and chaired by the prime minsiter, Baburam Bhattarai, on Friday, formed a nine-member technical committee to work on the project.
“The recently formed technical committee aims to begin the construction at the earliest, to ease the traffic congestion in the valley,” a PMO official told Republica, adding, “The The Ministry of Physical Planning and Works will initiate the work after Nepal Army opens the track for road.”
On October 14, Prime Minister Bhattarai had directed the NA to reopen the Maitighar-Bhadrakali road section for public to reduce the traffic congestion in the valley while NA expressed its inability to open the road for now. There are nine army units, including the maintenance unit, motor transportation unit and heavy equipment unit, along the road section, according to the national army.
The road was open to public before 2010 but was closed for security reasons in the height of the Maoist insurgency. Meantime, in 2010, the Supreme Court had refrained from ordering the army to reopen the road after it was informed that efforts were under way to explore an alternative to the closed road.
Following a public interest litigation, in the same year, the NA had informed the Supreme Court in writing that it had consulted the Ministry of Physical Planning and Works to open an alternative road to connect Maitighar and Bhadrakali.
The technical committee comprises Army Chief Chhatra Man Singh Gurung, Chief Secretary Madhav Ghimire, Secretary at Prime Minister´s Office Som Lal Subedi, secretaries of the ministries of physical planning and works, health, defense, commerce and information, and the general manager of Nepal Food Corporation.
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