Path Cleared for Infrastructure Development of Bardibas Medical College

Janakpurdham. The path for the formal infrastructure development of Bardibas Medical College has been cleared. The project, which has been long-awaited, is now moving toward implementation following a directive from the Department of Forests and Soil Conservation under the Ministry of Forests and Environment to complete the necessary procedures.

In a letter addressed to the Division Forest Office in Mahottari, the department has instructed the immediate initiation of legal and technical processes required for the medical college's infrastructure development. 

Based on the report submitted by the department's monitoring committee on 2082 Chaitra 24, a decision was made on 2082 Chaitra 27 to enter into an agreement with the medical college in accordance with the rules and to submit a cost estimate. This decision has laid a crucial foundation for the project's implementation.

Meanwhile, the Division Forest Office, Mahottari, has prepared a detailed cost estimate of the amount to be deposited into the Forest Development Fund before the agreement with Bardibas Medical College and has sent it to the Department of Forests and Soil Conservation. According to the office, a total of 264,609,525 rupees must be deposited into the Forest Development Fund before the project can be implemented.

According to the cost details, 191,044,000 rupees has been determined as compensation for the use of 54.584 hectares of forest land.

Similarly, 60,042,400 rupees has been estimated for plantation on the compensatory land. The cost for planting trees in a 1:10 ratio to replace the removed trees and poles has been set at 13,523,125 rupees.

According to the Forest Regulations 2079, it is mandatory to deposit all such compensation amounts into the Forest Development Fund before using forest land. It is stated that the formal agreement between the Forest Office and the Medical College will only take place after the project deposits this amount.

According to Forest Conservation Officer Prayas Ghimire, the provisions of the Forest Regulations were fully complied with while preparing the cost estimate. 'The project has been moved forward by completing all legal processes related to the use of forest land while maintaining environmental balance,' he said.

Bardibas Municipality Mayor Prahlad Kumar Chhetri stated that with the government's decision, the project has now entered the practical implementation phase. He expressed confidence that the construction of this long-awaited medical college for Madhesh Province would provide quality healthcare services at the local level. 'The compulsion to travel far for treatment will now be reduced,' he said.

Deepak Karki, President of the Bardibas Chamber of Commerce and Industry, also expressed the view that once the college comes into operation, it will help in producing health sector manpower and have a positive impact on the local economy. According to him, it will create employment and accelerate regional development.

With the directive from the Department of Forests and Soil Conservation, cost determination, and the advancement of necessary processes, the infrastructure development of Bardibas Medical College has now reached a decisive stage. It is expected that construction work will begin soon if the concerned bodies deposit the specified amount on time.