PM Calls for Consensus-Based Starting Point for Kathmandu-Tarai Fast Track

Prime Minister Sushila Karki on Tuesday, February 17, directed authorities to proceed with an alternative plan for the Kathmandu–Tarai Fast Track, setting aside the dispute over its proposed starting point at Khokana, Lalitpur.

The directive came amid longstanding concerns raised by the local community, which has opposed the alignment citing potential damage to religious and cultural heritage.

PM Karki issued the instruction during a meeting at the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers. The discussion was attended by Finance Minister Rameshore Khanal, Law Minister Anil Kumar Sinha, Minister for Physical Infrastructure and Transport Madhav Prasad Chaulagain, National Planning Commission Vice-Chair Prakash Kumar Shrestha, Chief of Army Staff Ashok Raj Sigdel, senior project officials, and secretaries of concerned ministries.

The 70.97-kilometre expressway, being constructed under the management of the Nepali Army, has yet to achieve 50 percent physical progress. The project’s total estimated cost stands at Rs 211.93 billion, while actual expenditure has reached nearly Rs 78 billion. Overall financial spending, including other costs, has climbed near Rs 83 billion.

A Cabinet meeting held on April 18, 2023, had extended the project’s deadline till mid-April 2027. However, meeting the deadline remains a major challenge. For the current fiscal year, the government has allocated Rs 24.49 billion for the project. As of mid-January, expenditure stood at Rs 1.63 billion, according to official data.

The Army briefed the meeting on construction progress, key challenges, and expectations from the government.

The prime minister urged officials to avoid unnecessary delays and not remain stuck in prolonged disputes. “We should move ahead by finding alternatives,” she said.

Referring to her site inspection on January 27, Karki reiterated that local concerns must be taken seriously during development works. She stressed that the national pride project should be completed at the earliest, even if it requires changing the starting point.

According to the state-owned RSS news agency, the prime minister instructed officials to revise the Detailed Project Report (DPR). “If Khokana cannot be the starting point, let us fix the starting point where consensus can be reached,” RSS quoted her as saying. “Even if the project can be operated partially, it should be brought into operation up to the point where construction is completed.”

Following the directive, the DPR will be revised to construct a toll plaza at Farsidol, 3.3 kilometres south of Khokana, RSS reported.