RASUWA, Feb 6: The construction of dry port at the Rasuwagadhi border point has been affected due to shortage of labor. The construction was started in mid-November but the widespread outbreak of coronavirus in China has led to the shortage of Chinese workers.

Out of 24 Chinese workers involved in the construction work, only nine are present at the construction site. 15 Chinese workers had gone home to celebrate the Chinese New Year and they have not been able to come back due to the outbreak of coronavirus in China. There are Nepali workers engaged in construction work as well but they are not sufficient to make a timely progress.

According to Pramod Acharya, a civil engineer of the Nepal Intermodal Transport Development Board (NITDB), construction of dry port cannot speed up due to shortage of labor. “Construction work has not stopped but shortage of labor will likely affect the timeline of the project,” said Acharya. According to him, 7% of the construction work has been completed so far.

The dry port is being constructed with the assistance from the Chinese government. The construction work is expected to be completed within 30 months. Tibet Fuli Construction has been awarded the contract to construct the dry port. The construction company has completed the work to import construction materials and clear the land for the dry port.

The dry port is being constructed at Timure of Gosaikunda Rural Municipality. The Chinese construction company will build the dry port in two phases. The design of the works to be completed in the first phase has already been approved by the Nepali and Chinese governments. The NITDB has acquired 8.5 hectares, including five hectares from Langtang National Park, for the project.

As per the agreement signed between Nepal and China, the northern neighbor will build the dry port and hand it over to Nepal. The design of the dry port was designed earlier on January 15, 2019, in Chinese city of Chengdu.

Nepal will have to provide security at the construction site, ensure that construction works go smoothly and provide customs tax waiver for import of construction equipment.

The dry port will have a five-storied administrative building spread over 5,000 square meters, warehouse sprawled over 750 square meters, and two checking areas spread over 2,080 square meters.

 
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