December 21: The construction of the Kathmandu-Tarai Expressway (fast track) is taking place at a snail's pace. According to the Nepalese Army, which has been entrusted the responsibility of construction management of the project, the physical progress of this project is less than one third in six years.

The government had entrusted the project management to the army on May 4, 2017. The foundation stone was laid by the then Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal on May 28 the same year. According to the last extended deadline, the project should be completed by mid-April 2027.

However, the army officials say that it is not possible to complete the project within the extended deadline.

According to the army, the reason for the delay in construction of the expressway is the existing laws and India's reluctance in providing explosives.

Chief of Army Staff (CoAS) General Prabhuram Sharma was summoned by the State Affairs and Good Governance Committee of the House of Representatives on Wednesday to discuss the delay in the construction of the expressway. During the discussion, the MPs presented a barrage of questions. The army chief had a hard time answering the questions of the lawmakers.

Commander-in-Chief Sharma claimed that the prevailing law prevented the construction of the expressway. He also said that they were not the only ones to blame for the delay.

“If you have to make a fast track, you should also make rules for the fast track. It took nine months to cut four trees, whose fault is it? I don't blame anyone. This is a rule made by you,” said Sharma. Sharma said that the tree that he had shown to the prime minister and the defense minister that should be cut in May last year has not been cut yet.

“It is ironic to say that we need to do the work on a war footing on the basis of outdated laws drafted in 2017. If this is the case, the fast track will not be built by 2027,” said Sharma.

He said that the Land Acquisition Act should be amended along with the provision of cutting trees in the Forest Act for the construction of fast track.

“The land does not belong to the government and the people's property cannot be usurped. The people’s property can be acquired only by paying compensation,” he said, adding, “The government fixes one price while the market price is different. Such problems have delayed the project."

Even if it is not possible to blacktop the expressway from Kathmandu to Nijgadh by 2027, we are effortful to ensure that vehicles will be able to ply the road by that time, said Sharma adding that it can be considered a big achievement is we succeed in it.

According to CoAS Sharma, it will take another two to three years to to give the finishing touch to the expressway.

Sharma said that strict laws made in the past to protect the environment have now hindered development and construction.

"If the rules are not amended, it will not only be difficult to complete the fast track, but any other project in Nepal," he said.

According to the army, the land dispute at the entry point in Khokna has not been resolved yet while the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal has proposed to change the interchange design of Nijgadh International Airport.

MPs raised questions about the slow pace of construction. CPN United Socialist MP Rajendra Pandey said that the progress of the Kathmandu-Terai Expressway is not satisfactory. He expressed doubt that the construction will be completed within the extended deadline.

MP Raghuji Pant said that the Khokana dispute for the construction of the expressway should be resolved quickly. He also questioned the supplementary environmental assessment process of the project. What happened to the SEIA report? Who stopped the work? How much of the allocated budget of Rs 22 billion was spent in this fiscal year?'' he asked.

He also asked the army to clarify why India stopped the explosives. “Can't the army prepare the explosives it needs? Is it because there is no gunpowder to prepare the explosives? Has the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure helped to make the fast track or not?”

During the meeting, MPs Gagan Kumar Thapa, Ravi Lamichhane and others expressed their displeasure that the army was involved in the construction of infrastructure.

They also raised concerns that the Military Act does now allow probe into possible corruption.

According to the army, the financial progress of the expressway with an estimated cost of Rs 211.93 billion stands at 29.44 percent. In the current fiscal year, the physical progress of the expressway has reached 32.66 percent. The army claims that this year's financial progress is 10.8 percent.

The army has divided the work in 13 packages for the expressway. Five of them have not been contracted yet.

Instructions to Finish the Project within the Deadline 

The State Affairs and Good Governance Committee has instructed the Nepalese Army to complete the expressway construction within the given deadline. Chairman Ramhari Khatiwada said that the committee meeting had instructed the army to complete all the construction work of the expressway within the timeframe.

The committee has also decided to hold a meeting with the prime minister, deputy prime minister and minister for defense, minister for forests and environment, minister for physical infrastructure and transport, minister for land management, cooperatives and poverty alleviation, chief secretary and secretaries of related ministries regarding the fast track.

The committee has instructed the ministries concerned including the Ministry of Forests, Environment, and the Ministry of Finance to set a deadline for supplementary environmental impact assessment of national pride projects and facilitate necessary completion of works such as felling tree and land acquisition.

Government of Nepal, Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Forest and Environment and Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport have been instructed to provide necessary support to the projects of national pride on time.