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Road To Prosperity The traditional development partner Japan helps in the construction of alternative road to link Kathmandu with eastern region
By A CORRESPONDENT
Every year in monsoon, the main highway linking Kathmandu valley with the rest of the country - the Prithvi Highway - as well as Tribhuwan highway remain blocked for days due to landslides. And every monsoon, people and planners raise hue and cry demanding alternative road. Now because of the help provided by the Japanese government, Nepalese could soon have an alternative road linking the valley with the eastern region. Just last week, a major Dhulikhel-Nepalthok section of the BP Highway (which was first conceived in 1960) has been opened for normal transport operation.
"Until opening of this road section, the people living in the area adjoining this road section have faced various difficulties due to the lack of road access. With the opening of this 50km long new road section, they have a better access to the markets of Dhulikhel and to the rest of the country through the Araniko Highway," according to press release by the Japanese embassy.
Road access benefits the people and community living in the adjoining area through providing access to basic human needs as well as promoting agricultural activities and local industries, which ultimately helps contribute to alleviate poverty in the country.
"Furthermore, once the road is completed in its full length, it contributes enormously strengthen the road networks in Nepal connecting Kathmandu and the Terai Plain. It is expected that it will benefit the economic activities in national as well as regional levels, thus contributing to the welfare of the People of Nepal," it further states.
The project for construction of Sindhuli Road has been materialized with the expectation of benefiting the people and communities living in the neighboring areas, and the people of Nepal as a whole.
"As a dedicated development partner and close friend of Nepal, Japan has been extending its support to the Government of Nepal since 1969 in order to increase the well-being of the Nepalese people and to foster a long lasting friendly and cooperative relationship between the two nations. In line with this, since 1996, the Government of Japan has been extending grant assistance to His Majesty’s Government of Nepal for the construction of Sindhuli Road."
Tsutomu Hiraoka, Japanese ambassador to Nepal, while inaugurating the road section, said, "I am happy to note that out of the planned 158km long highway, 99.5km has been opened for traffic movement. For the construction of this Sindhuli Road, the Government of Japan has been extending grant assistance to His Majesty’s Government of Nepal since 1996. Approximately Rs 7.6 billion has been extended to HMGN for its construction up till now. As expected, the already opened section of the road, including this Section IV, has not only provided transportation facilities but also has enhanced the local people’s accessibility to basic needs, such as health, education etc. The road has also promoted agricultural activities and local industries in the adjacent areas. This all contributes to poverty alleviation in the country. I would also like to note that, in order to ensure the local communities receive multi-fold benefits from the construction of the Sindhuli Road, the Government of Japan has also extended Grant Assistance for Grassroots Project Scheme to the local communities. Till date, three such Grants have been extended to the Kavrepalanchok district. These grants are for construction of a Multipurpose Community Ground at Dhulikhel Municipality, construction of Mangal Jan Bijaya High School at Mangaltar and establishment of a Milk Chilling Center at Bhakundebesi."
Meanwhile, Japan has recently handed over the Power Transmission Sub-station (K3 Sub-station) to Nepal Electricity Authority, which has been constructed under the project for the Extension and Reinforcement of Power Transmission and Distribution System in Kathmandu Valley (Phase III) in order to reduce the problems such as over-loading and excessive voltage drop on distribution system. This Project is expected to directly benefit around 130,000 people as well as the hospitals and schools in the center of Kathmandu Valley through enhancing the reliability of power supply.
To address the solid waste management issues of the Kathmandu Valley in all five municipalities, namely, Kathmandu Metropolitan City, Lalitpur Sub-Metropolitan City, Bhaktapur Municipality, Madhyapur Thimi Municipality and Kirtipur Municipality, the Government of Japan has dispatched a JICA Study Team to prepare a master plan with the objective of “Clean Kathmandu Valley” (CKV) and the Team is at the final stage of its study.
"These cooperation, including the Sindhuli Road Project, will directly benefit the welfare and improve quality of life of the people of Nepal. The Government of Japan is very pleased to be able to cooperate with the people of Nepal in this way," the release states.
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