Kathmandu, May 3
The Nepali Army says it will select a consultant to prepare the detailed project report for the construction of Kathmandu-Terai fast track within next two weeks.
Spokesperson of the national military organisation Gokul Bhandari says total 17 companies, one domestic and 16 international, have expressed their interest to prepare the DPR and the Army is currently studying the applications.
According to Bhandari, the consultant will be sent to the field immediately after the selection so that the DPR would be prepared on time.
While the consultant will be preparing the DPR, the Nepali Army will continue with preliminary construction works, he says.
Earlier, the Nepali Army had tried to purchase a DPR prepared by India’s Infrastructure Leasing and Financial Services (IL & FS); but the idea was dropped later owing to the high cost.
The Indian firm had prepared the report earlier when the government assigned it for the ambitious project.
However, the government later changed the decision and handed over the project to Nepali Army. During that time, the Indian company had demanded that its DPR be purchased.
Then Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal had laid the foundation stone for the fast track on May 28 this year. The government plans to complete the construction within next four years.
The government has already endorsed the working procedure for the construction.
After the construction, it will take around an hour to reach Nijgadh via the 76-kilometre road that spans across Lalitpur, Makawanpur and Bara districts.
There will be a 1.5-kilometre tunnel, 99 bridges and six overhead bridges along the road.
