KATHMANDU: Nepali Communist Part (NCP) leader Barshaman Pun has urged Prime Minister Balendra Shah to move forward with key development projects.
Pun made the suggestion during a discussion held by Prime Minister Shah on Monday with members of the House of Representatives elected from Lumbini Province.
During the meeting, Pun drew the Prime Minister’s attention to ongoing development projects in his home district Rolpa District as well as other areas of Lumbini Province, urging that they be given priority along with several new initiatives.
He particularly stressed the need to bring the Gautam Buddha International Airport in Bhairahawa into full operation without delay. Pun said diplomatic dialogue with India should be expedited to secure international air routes necessary for regular international flights from the airport.
He also called for accelerating construction of the Shaheed Highway linking Koilabas, Rolpa District and Rukum to Dolpa District, noting that the road carries strategic significance as it could eventually connect to the border with China. Pun urged the government to speed up blacktopping works on the Ghorahi–Holeri section and allocate budget for upgrading the Sulichaur–Uwa section in Rolpa.
Pun further asked the government to move ahead with the Madhi Multipurpose Hydropower Project in Rolpa, a project planned with joint investment from Hydroelectricity and Investment Development Company Limited and Power Construction Corporation of China. The project aims to dam the Madhi River in wards 1 and 2 of Rolpa Municipality, but construction has remained stalled.
He also emphasised the need to implement the Gandaki Economic Triangle project, which had been included in the national budget for fiscal year 2024/25 when he served as finance minister. The concept proposes developing Bharatpur, Butwal and Pokhara as three economic hubs under an integrated development model in partnership with the private sector. According to Pun, the project could create a new economic centre and act as a game changer for the country’s economy.
However, the government led by KP Sharma Oli removed the project through a budget revision after replacing the government headed by Pushpa Kamal Dahal following a seven-point agreement between the Nepali Congress and the CPN-UML on June 30, 2024.
Pun also suggested launching integrated development programmes in Lumbini Province to support agricultural production. He said the province, which has some of the country’s most fertile land, requires improved irrigation, fertiliser supply, seeds, modern agricultural equipment and better market management.
He further called for allocating certain development projects based on recommendations from lawmakers so that all 165 electoral constituencies receive proportional development support, noting that such a practice had existed in the past.
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