KANCHANPUR: Construction of the dry port in Dodhara Chandani is advancing swiftly. Ashish Gajurel, Executive Director of the Nepal Intermodal Transport Development Committee, said that work on the port is moving quickly.
He added that so far, 1,000 trees have been cut down in the Mayapuri Community Forest located in Dodhara Chandani Municipality-1 to clear the site for construction.
“A total of 1,593 trees need to be cut for the port construction. So far, 1,000 trees have been removed,” he said.
“We aim to complete the tree cutting this month and then proceed with construction. India has already selected a construction company for the project.”
On June 1, 2023, the governments of Nepal and India signed a memorandum of understanding for the dry port, which will be built with financial and technical support from India.
The Indian side has called for bids to construct the port at an estimated cost of 2.54 billion (2 billion 540 million) Indian rupees. Construction of the infrastructure will begin after the Nepali side vacates and hands over the site to the Indian authorities.
The Intermodal Transport Development Committee stated that the port infrastructure will cover 42.36 hectares and will include two warehouse buildings, a customs inspection building, a quarantine building, an immigration building, a security building, and other facilities.
Nepal has already commissioned a six-lane access road to the dry port and a four-lane concrete bridge over the Mahakali River. India is responsible for constructing an access road to the port.
Once operational, the dry port is expected to open up new development opportunities for the Far West region through enhanced connectivity at the western border.
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