BIRATNAGAR, July 13: Preparations are underway to operate trains on the railway track from Bathnaha in India to Buddhanagar in Biratnagar. Plans to operate railway tracks from Bathnaha in India to the Integrated Check Post (ICP) at Buddhanagar in Biratnagar before this year’s Dashain are being forwarded.
Though the work in Katahari has not been completed yet, preparations are underway to build roads and other infrastructures from Buddhanagar Railway Station to the Integrated Check Post (ICP), Biratnagar to operate freight trains to Buddhanagar. As the distance from the railway station in Buddhanagar to the ICP is only about 200 meters, it is assumed that building the road should not take much time. However, the Biratnagar Customs Office revealed that the road construction has not started yet.
According to Ram Chandra Dhungana, information officer for the office, representatives from the Indian embassy had come some time ago to Biratnagar to inspect the railway. He mentions that while building the railway track at Katahari could take some time due to the disputes regarding providing compensation for land acquisition, they have shown their intention to hand over the completed railway track even if it is only up to Buddhanagar. Dhungana said that the Indian side is interested in bringing the freight trains into operation by handing over the completed parts up until Buddhanagar to Nepal by the coming Dashain festival.
For the smooth operation of the trains, a test was conducted on the railway track from Bathnaha to Buddhanagar station four years ago. Even after the technicians ruled that the trains could be operated from Bathnaha to Buddhanagar following the test, the delay in the construction on the Nepali side had put the operation of trains on the track in limbo.
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Even though, a few years back, the railway tracks were constructed only up to the Biratnagar-Rangeli road section of the Postal Highway, works to extend the tracks to up to the north station of the Postal Highway have been occurring for the past six months.
The construction of the Bathnaha-Katahari railway track, which started in 2011, was supposed to be completed in 2016, but the construction of the Kalahari-based railway station has not been possible due to a dispute over compensation for land acquisition in Nepal. Local landowners have filed a case in court expressing dissatisfaction over the compensation stipulated by the government. The construction of the railway line was stalled after 22 local landlords filed a case in the court. Although work has begun to construct the railway track in the northern part of the Postal Highway this year, the court has not come forth with a decision in the dispute for compensation which has hindered the land acquisition process. The Bathnaha-Katahari railway line is 18 km long. The land required for the construction of this railway is being provided by Nepal while the construction work is being assisted by India.
The construction of the railway has been stalled for the past four years as Nepal could not make the required land available to India for the construction on time. Although the construction work of the railway track resumed recently, the dispute over the compensation for the land acquisition has not been resolved yet. Chief District Officer 9CDO) of Morang, Kashiraj Dahal says that there has been a problem in handing over the land to the Indian side due to the delay in the court decision. He said that the Indian side, which came to Biratnagar with representatives from the Indian Embassy a month ago, had proposed to operate freight trains from Bathnaha to the ICP in Biratnagar.
The Nepali side also agreed to the proposal of the Indian side and said that a 20-day notice has been issued to remove the houses for the construction of an approach road to the check post. CDO Dahal said that if the houses around the approach road were not removed within 20 days, the administration would remove them. The Indian side claimed that while they had asked the Nepali side to resolve the compensation dispute in Katahari as soon as possible, they had not withdrawn from the project. Meanwhile, in the provincial assembly of Province 1, the lawmakers have drawn the government's attention, asserting that the Indian side is withdrawing from the project as the compensation dispute has not been resolved.
Jeevan Ghimire, a member of the provincial assembly of Province 1 said that India had warned to withdraw from the railway project if the land to construct the railway line in Katahari is not made available immediately. He said that the government should resolve the compensation dispute promptly, hand over the land to the Indian side and complete the construction of the railway as soon as possible.
The industrialists of Province 1 have been demanding the completion of the construction of the railway track and bringing the trains into operation for years. According to the industrialists, there is a possibility of completing the construction work and bringing trains into operation immediately as the railway track from Bathnaha to the ICP and the infrastructures needed to complete the track up to the Buddhanagar Railway Station were prepared.
According to Dhungana, the government has also shown interest in operating the railway track. According to him, the Department of Roads is preparing a cost estimate for the construction of a 200-meter road section from the Buddhanagar-based railway station to the Biratnagar Customs Office. Dhungana said that preparations have been made to widen the small road from the ICP to Buddhanagar village. He says that an all-party meeting has been held in Morang on the issues of railway operation, road construction and settlement of compensation disputes.
Currently, most of the industrial raw materials imported from India and other third-world countries via Biratnagar are being imported through land routes. According to the industrialists, the transportation fare is about half cheaper if the imports are brought by rail than by land. The industrialists have been claiming that the industrial units of the Sunsari-Morang Industrial Corridor, would be able to import raw materials cheaper than the industries of Birgunj and Bhairahawa if the freight trains transporting cargoes from Kolkata to Biratnagar come into operation, which will increase the competitiveness of the factories in the region and attract investors to invest in the industries.
As the competitiveness of the industrial plants in the Sunsari-Morang Industrial Corridor is weakening, the industrial plants are being displaced from the region and the establishment of new industrial units is declining. The industrialists are expecting a reduction in the cost of industrial raw materials and the return of the lost industries of the Sunsari-Morang Industrial Corridor if freight trains transporting cargos to Biratnagar come into operation.
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