Government Reduces Infrastructure Ministry Budget, Prioritizes Key Projects

Kathmandu. The government has made some cuts to the budget of the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure Development for the upcoming fiscal year 2083/84. The budget presented by Finance Minister Dr. Swarnim Wagle in a joint session of the Federal Parliament on Friday has allocated a total of 3 kharba 2 arba 83 crore 52 lakh rupees for this ministry, which is approximately 1 arba 39 crore 94 lakh rupees less than the previous fiscal year. In the previous fiscal year, 3 kharba 4 arba 23 crore 46 lakh rupees were allocated for this sector. Despite a slight decrease in the overall budget size, the government has given high priority to strategic road infrastructure, tunnel construction, and urban development programs. Finance Minister Wagle informed that despite resource constraints, the budget has been focused on productive and high-return large-scale projects.

What are the programs? The largest portion of the budget is focused on road infrastructure and urban development. A sum of 2 kharba 86 arba 48 crore rupees has been allocated for the road infrastructure sector alone. The government considers the upcoming year as a 'year to make a leap in road and tunnel construction'. The budget has set an ambitious target of blacktopping approximately one thousand kilometers of roads and completing the construction of 275 road bridges within the next year. To fulfill the commitment of upgrading the East-West Highway, considered the economic backbone of the country, to four lanes within the next five years, 37 arba 46 crore rupees have been allocated this year. This year, the upgradation of the Kamala-Kanchanpur and Narayangadh-Butwal road sections will be completed, and in the following year, the government has announced the upgradation of 80 kilometers of roads under the Kakadvitta-Lauhi, Kamala-Bagmati, Butwal-Gorusinghe, and Dhanakhola-Lamahi sections. Similarly, the upgradation of the Bagmati-Pathlaiya, Narayangadh-Hetaunda, and Gorusinghe-Chandrauta sections will be started. The study for the upgradation of the Pakali-Kanchanpur, Chandrauta-Dhanakhola, and Kohalpur-Gadda Chowki road sections will be completed. The Kathmandu-Terai-Madhesh Expressway has announced the completion of 40 bridges and 5.4 kilometers of tunnels in the upcoming year. The budget statement mentions the commencement of link road construction for the expressway. Additionally, 17 arba 64 crore has been allocated for the Fast Track. The Hulasi Highway is targeted for completion within the next three years, and under this, 8 road bridges will be completed by widening the highway in densely populated areas. A sum of 4 arba 65 crore rupees has been allocated for this highway. 1 arba budget has been arranged for the upgradation of the Surkhet-Jumla-Gamgadhi road under the Karnali Highway. The construction of the Pushpalal (Mid-Hilly) Highway will be completed within the next three years, and 2 arba 16 crore rupees have been allocated for the upgradation of 65 kilometers of road and the construction of 5 bridges under it. 1 arba 46 crore rupees have been allocated for blacktopping 25 kilometers of road and constructing bridges under the Madan Bhandari Highway.

How much budget for which road infrastructure projects? East-West Highway: 37 arba 46 crore Kathmandu/Terai-Madhesh Expressway: 17 arba 64 crore Pushpalal (Mid-Hilly) Highway: 2 arba 16 crore Madan Bhandari Highway: 1 arba 46 crore Karnali Highway (Surkhet-Jumla-Gamgadhi Road): 1 arba Local Roads and Bridges: 9 arba 87 crore Prithvi Highway: 6 arba 55 crore Karnali Kaligandaki and Koshi Corridor: 6 arba 25 crore Galchi-Syafrubesi-Rasuwagadhi: 1 arba 35 crore The government has announced the completion of under-construction bridges on major highways and strategic roads within the next three years. The construction and upgradation of 40 large bridges on national highways have been announced. Additionally, 9 arba 87 crore rupees have been allocated for national highway and strategic road bridges, bridges of special importance, and local road bridges. The four-lane road construction from Abukhaireni to Pokhara under the Prithvi Highway in Tanahu will be completed soon. Construction of the Mugling-Abukhaireni section is planned to begin. 40 kilometers of road under the Nagdhunga-Mugling section will be upgraded. The Nagdhunga tunnel will be operational from next Saun. 6 arba 55 crore has been allocated for these road sections. 31 kilometers of the Karnali Corridor will be blacktopped and graveled. Similarly, 21 kilometers of the Kaligandaki Corridor and 15 kilometers of the northern section of the Koshi Corridor will be blacktopped. 6 arba 25 crore has been allocated for these three corridors. 1 arba 35 crore has been allocated for the upgradation of the Galchi-Syafrubesi-Rasuwagadhi road section. The construction of the Butwal-Pokhara section of the Siddhartha Highway as an expressway will commence, and the Siddhababa tunnel will be completed within the upcoming fiscal year. Special priority has been given to opening the track of the Darchula-Tinkar section of the Mahakali Corridor. The upgradation of the Mechi, Arun, Tamor, Bheri, Seti Corridors, and Khutiya-Dipayal road will be accelerated, as mentioned in the budget statement. Under the expansion of the Kathmandu Ring Road, the Kalanki-Basundhara section expansion work will begin, and the design for the Basundhara-Chabahil-Koteshwor section will be completed.

Detailed Feasibility Study for 6 Tunnels to be Conducted The detailed feasibility study for the Tokha-Chahare tunnel will be conducted. To facilitate the lives of the people in Karnali, the feasibility study for the Mulsam in Jajarkot to Topla tunnel in Jumla will be conducted. Studies related to the construction of Khurkot-Chayabari, Thankot-Chatlang, Majhimtar-Shaktikhor, and Chispani-Bheri tunnels will be conducted. 2 arba 46 crore has been allocated for road safety by continuing the installation and maintenance of traffic signals, intersection improvements, road markings, crash barriers, and dividers at major road intersections. The construction of the railway line from Bardibas to the departure point of the Kathmandu-Terai Madhesh Expressway will be advanced. Funds have been allocated to complete the remaining work of the under-construction Bathnaha-Biratnagar and Janakpur-Jayanagar-Bardibas railway lines.

28 Arba 52 Crore Allocated for Dust and Pothole-Free Roads From the upcoming year, major urban roads including the Kathmandu Valley will be regularly maintained to make them dust and pothole-free, and 28 arba 52 crore has been allocated to operate this as a nationwide road maintenance campaign. 3 arba 17 crore has been allocated for the construction of climate-resilient structures in high-risk areas of the highway and for the immediate removal of obstructions on the highway due to landslides to restore services. Arrangements will be made to operate a modern blue bus service with CCTV cameras to ensure the safe commute of women. In urban development, the government has put forward the concept of identified and modern urbanization. 1 arba 83 crore rupees have been allocated for land development and infrastructure construction for new cities in 12 locations along the Mid-Hilly Highway. 4 arba 19 crore has been set aside for integrated solid waste management and riverbank promotion to make the country's major cities clean and green. The government has ensured the necessary budget for the reconstruction of damaged private houses and government buildings in the earthquake-affected Jajarkot and Rukum West, giving them special priority. 5 arba 14 crore has been allocated to improve local level access by connecting centers without road networks to highways and to provide citizens with suspension bridges within a 30-minute walking distance.

37 Arba 17 Crore for Clean Drinking Water and Sanitation The budget for clean drinking water and sanitation has also been increased this year. A total of 37 arba 17 crore rupees has been allocated for this sector. 7 arba 26 crore rupees have been allocated for water diversion from the Yangri and Larkey rivers under the second phase of the Melamchi project to provide a long-term solution to the drinking water problem in the Kathmandu Valley. The government has set a target to complete 280 incomplete projects this year to address the problem of dry seasons in the Terai-Madhesh region. The budget statement mentions the implementation of a smart distribution system and QR code-based monitoring system to provide safe and clean drinking water to every citizen within the next 5 years for modern water management. The budget has focused not only on new construction but also on the improvement of existing structures and the quality of service delivery. Modern wastewater treatment centers will be constructed at five locations, including Sallaghari, Kodku, and Dhobighat, at a cost of 3 arba 46 crore to make Kathmandu's rivers pollution-free. Similarly, sewage treatment centers will be operated in six cities outside the valley. The government's policy to promote 'Blue Bus' service with CCTV cameras and e-mobility to make public transport technology-friendly is expected to further ease urban life.