Rani-Dharan Road Being Developed As Commercial Path

Government is developing Rani-Biratnagar-Itahari-Dharan road which joins the Indian border Jogbani as a commercial path. Pramila Devi Shakya Bajracharya, Property Manager of Road Department and Project Manager of Agreement Management and Quality Control Planning said that the road is being extended for this purpose. “Administrative work has already started regarding road extension,” she said, “construction work will start from coming fiscal year.”  The department is preparing to publish a public notice within a week. 

According to the department, it will take Rs 7 billion to extend the road. The road that was previously two and four lanes will be extended to eight lanes. According to the department, the breadth of the road will be extended to 50 metres except in Biratnagar. As Biratnagar is already developed as a dense residential area, road there will only be limited to 30 meters wide. For the road extension, government will be issuing budget of Rs 100 million. “The work will be completed within six years in a phase wise manner,” said the department.

With the growing traffic density in the area because of the Jogbani Border, the road has to be extended. Commercial Road will strengthen the Nepal-India relationship even more, said Tulsi Prasad Sitoula, Secretary at Ministry of Physical Infrastructures and Transportation. According to Sitoula, the security too will be made stronger. The road expansion will also make easy and efficient transportation of goods that are being imported. Former President of Federation of Nepal Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI), Kush Kumar Joshi said that the concept of road extension will help in the business management of that region as the road has so many industrial corridors. He said, “The road will also help in increasing the business between Nepal and India. As the road extension will make the import easy, industrialist and businessperson will also directly benefit.”