KATHMANDU: Prime Minister Sushila Karki has instructed officials to move forward with an alternative plan for the Kathmandu–Tarai–Madhesh Expressway, temporarily setting aside the ongoing dispute over the project’s Khokana starting point.
The directive came during a meeting on Tuesday at the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers, focused on the expressway’s progress and planning.
Earlier, on January 27, the Prime Minister had inspected the under-construction expressway. At that time, she stressed the importance of seriously considering local concerns while carrying out development and construction activities.
During Tuesday’s discussion, Finance Minister Rameshore Khanal, Law Minister Anil Kumar Sinha, Minister for Physical Infrastructure and Transport Madhav Chaulagain, Vice-Chair of the National Planning Commission Prakash Kumar Shrestha, Chief of Army Staff Ashok Raj Sigdel, along with secretaries of relevant ministries and expressway officials, were present.
Representatives of the Nepal Army briefed the meeting on the current progress of the project, challenges faced, and expectations from the government.
Prime Minister Karki directed that development work should proceed without unnecessary delays and warned against being stalled by disputes.
Following her instructions, the DPR (Detailed Project Report) will be amended to construct a toll plaza 3.3 kilometers below Khokana, at Farsidol, according to the Prime Minister’s Secretariat.
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