Construction of a dry port at Nepalgunj transit point has not made any progress lately ‘mainly due to the apathy of the Indian side’. The construction work is in limbo.
The Indian side is responsible for undertaking some portion of the project, but the Indian government is least concerned about it, said engineer Hom Nath Bhusal at Nepalgunj-based Federal Project Implementation Unit office.
India has constructed a barbed-wire fence in the bordering Jayaspur area of late in connection with construction of the dry port. It has built the fence in its territory connecting it to the no-man’s land on the border between Nepal and India. “Although India has constructed the fence and wall on its side, the actual construction work of the dry port has not made any headway,” Bhusal said.
The Nepali side has completed some of its share of work for the project such as land acquisition, while construction of the 2,700 meters approach road from Chaulika of Nepalgunj to the port site is under way. The project is funded by the Indian government.
Indian authority has used the barbed wire fence at the bordering Jayaspur area near no man’s land as part of the project. “Although the Indian government fenced the area, construction work has not moved ahead as per the target,” said Bhusal. “Our part of the road construction has been completed, and the remaining work is to be carried out by the Indian government.
No construction work had been carried out in the fiscal year of 2020-21),” he said. The Indian side is learnt to be working on the bidding process in this regard, he added.
Nepal government had acquired 89 bigha land for the project in fiscal 2008-09, which has, however, turned into a grazing field.
(RSS)
