The Hindu Business Line : NHAI to help reconstruct roads linking Nepal border

SEVERAL projects to upgrade infrastructure for promotion of trade and transportation between India and Nepal are in various stages of implementation. The projects include some on the Indian side but mostly on the Nepalese side.

Briefing Business Line, Mr C. Gururaj Rao, the local Consul General of India, said among the projects being undertaken on the Indian side the most important would be the participation of the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) in the reconstruction of the roads leading to the border with Nepal. All the roads currently connecting various National Highways (NHs) with the border would be brought under NHAI for upgradation and maintenance.

Right now, the NHs do not extend up to the border; most of the roads leading to the border are under the jurisdiction of the respective State Governments and, therefore, their condition in most cases leaves much to be desired. The road in Raxaul, the last Indian point on the India-Nepal border, is a case in point. The condition of the road from Raxaul to the border beggars description and is in sharp contrast to that in this Nepalese town on the border. This is true about the roads in other towns located on the Indian side of the border.

The Raxaul railway station under the East Central Zonal Railway too would be upgraded to provide better amenities. This was needed to benefit a large number of passengers, Mr Rao said. With several trains arriving at Raxaul station at night, the Nepal-bound passengers are particularly put to difficulties, as they have to wait till thenext morning for the border gates to open. The border gates close at 9 p.m. The objective of the proposed upgradation would be to create proper amenities for board and lodging of passengers and also to provide better connectivity.

As part of the scheme to improve physical infrastructure on select checkposts on the India-Nepal border, four locations have been identified. These are Biratnagar - Jogbani, Birgunj-Raxaul, Bhairahawa-Sunauli and Nepalgunj-Rupadiya. More than 60 hectares of land would be acquired on the both sides of the border by the respective governments to develop integrated infrastructure under one roof. Single-window facilities would be created for customs, immigration, foreign exchange transfers and security. Also, there would be parking space for vehicles. Rail India Technical & Economic Services (RITES) had been asked to undertake a study on the project, he said.

Finally, the Indian Government, as Mr Rao pointed out, would provide assistance for upgradation of road infrastructure in the Terai region of Nepal. The authorities of both the countries were unanimous in their view that such an upgradation was urgently needed for providing critical linkages to border towns located in the south of Nepal's East-West Highway. Initially, a little more than 1,000 km of roads were identified for the purpose - 22 link roads totalling 552 km, 14 bridges with a total span length of 616 metres and 535 km of Hulaki (postal) roads. The cost estimated was Rs 287 crores. RITES, acting as consultant, recently completed the environment impact assessment and the preparation of the feasibility report.

The agreement in this regard was signed between the two governments in May this year. Subsequently, His Majesty's Government of Nepal approached the Indian Government with the request to add another 500 km to the scheme. "Our Government has agreed to it and the details are being worked," Mr Rao added.