Kathmandu-Hetauda Fast Track – Follow Up

It has been five months since potential bidders abandoned the Kathmandu-Tarai Fast Track Road project, but the government has not been able to finalise its development and financial modality. The case is similar with another proposed express highway—the Kathmandu-Hetauda Tunnel Highway—which is struggling to attract investment.

With international bidders shying away, the government is now planning to build the Fast Track project on its own. However, it will be a two-lane road instead of the originally planned four-lane. With resources hard to come, Nepal Purbhadhar Bikas Com-pany Limited (NPBCL), developer of the tunnel highway, recently scrapped the ceiling of Rs 1 million, allowing institutional investors to put in the amount they wish.

The Fast Track is estimated to cost Rs 100 billion, while Tunnel Highway requires an estimated Rs 35 billion.

The plan to link Tarai with the Kathmandu valley is not new. Birendra Bahadur Deuja, former secretary, says he had in 1991 pushed for a study to develop a high-class road connecting the Capital with Tarai via Hetauda. “Even after two decades, we are still struggling to get what we want,” says Deuja, who served as Director General at the Department of Roads (DoR) in 1991.

It’s 2014 now, and the government is still undecided about the development and financing mechanism for the Fast Track. “The problem is the government is not showing any seriousness to take off the project,” adds Deuja. “The leaders and bureaucrats need to be serious about these types of projects which can bring significant development in the country.”