Miscellaneous
House panel to govt: Begin work on railway plan
A parliamentary panel has directed the government to start preparations for the expansion of rail network in the country and come up with a detailed work plan.A parliamentary panel has directed the government to start preparations for the expansion of rail network in the country and come up with a detailed work plan.
A meeting of the Development Committee of the Legislature-Parliament issued a directive to the government on Thursday, asking it to start preparing a work plan on the rail network. The rail network can be the backbone of Nepal’s economy and will help upgrade the socio-economic status of the people living at various corners of the country, it said.
Minister for Physical Planning and Transpiration Ramesh Lekhak said that his ministry was in talks with various governments and private firms interested in the rail network expansion project. “We will begin ground work for a metro rail in Kathmandu within a year,” he said in the meeting, adding that efforts are also underway to build the rail connectivity through north-south and east-west.
After the discussion with Minister Lekhak and senior officials of the ministry, the committee concluded that the construction of the railway infrastructure in border areas would help create a base for economic development in the country while boosting trade and enhance country’s access to the international markets.
“We are soon coming up with a detailed project report on building north-south and east-west rail network,” Minister Lekhak committed during the meeting.
The meeting also instructed the ministry to resume the operation of Janakpur-Jainagar rail service within a year and urged the minister and officials to clear the deck for the rail network expansion.
Committee President Rabindra Adhikari insisted that establishing a rail network should be the focus of the country as its close neighbours China and India both have good rail networks.