Ktm-Madhesh Expressway: PM instructs officials to move starting point from Khokana

KATHMANDU: Prime Minister Sushila Karki has directed officials to move ahead with an alternative plan for the starting point of the Kathmandu–Tarai/Madhes Fast Track, setting aside the dispute over Khokana.

Locals of Khokana, Lalitpur, have been protesting the project, saying that it would affect religious and cultural heritage as well as local beliefs.

During a discussion on the project in Kathmandu on Tuesday, Karki instructed officials to proceed with an alternative plan.

Earlier, during an on-site visit to the project area on January 27, Karki had said that local concerns must be taken seriously while implementing development projects. She had also stated that efforts should be made to complete the national pride project even if it meant changing the starting point.

Minister for Finance Rameshore Prasad Khanal, Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Anil Kumar Sinha, Minister for Physical Infrastructure and Transport Madhav Chaulagain, Vice-Chairperson of the National Planning Commission Prakash Kumar Shrestha, and Chief of Army Staff Ashok Raj Sigdel, as well as other officials associated with the project, were present during the discussion.

“There should be no unnecessary delay in development projects. We should try to resolve disputes as much as possible,” Karki said. “But if disputes arise, we cannot remain stuck indefinitely. We must find alternatives and move forward.”

She also said that if a large investment project is prolonged indefinitely, it could become difficult to bear the financial burden.

Project officials say they are preparing to revise the project’s DPR to build a toll plaza of the expressway at Pharsidol, some 3.3 kilometers below Khokana.