Community plans to invest on fast track road

Private sector is planning to invest on infrastructure and that too through a Users’ Community Group on a much-needed fast track road that links the Valley with the Sounthern planes.
Some 21 village development committees (VDCs) in Makawanpur are planning a company for a proposed 50-km Kathmandu-Hetauda fast track road that will not only reduce driving length between the two cities to one hour by consuming less fuel but also help reduce population concentration in Kathmandu Valley, said Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI) Kush Kumar Joshi.
Though, Hetauda-Kathmandu aerial distance is only 37 km, the present road – Tribhuwan Highway – that links the two cities is 133-km. Currently, travellers have to spend more than eight hours to reach Hetauda from Kathmandu, and pay high fares.
Of the four roads – Tribhuwan Highway, Chhaimale-Sisneri, Phakhkle-Kulekhani-Pharping, Ganeshman Marg (Chitlang) and Prithvi highway – that link Kathmandu with Hetauda currently, the proposed Hetauda-Sisneri fast track is the shortest and practical as it needs only up gradation, Joshi, who is the coordinator of the Users’ Committee Group that is planning to construct Kathmandu-Hetaud Fast Track, informed. "The proposed Hetauda-Kulekhani-Kathmandu fast track will be started in a year after a final study."
The idea of the constructing fast track road has been floated since Girija Prasad Koirala became the Prime Minister post 1990 movement, but could not be materialised. But this time, the locals are committed to construct the dream highway, he said, adding that the locals whose land will be used for road and labourers will get share in the company.
Some 2,000 vehicles ply on the existing seven-km long road that will be widened according to the proposed four-lane fast track design.
"By the side of the proposed fast track many satellite cities can also be developed that will reduce the population concentration in the overcrowded Valley,” Joshi said, adding that a preliminary study showed that a tunnel – of a length of two to three kilometers –has to be constructed in a section of the proposed fast track near Phimphedi.
The government has also been planning Kathmandu-Hetauda fast track at an estimated cost of around Rs 50 billion but the proposed fast track road will be more practical as it will run through Bagmati river corridor though overlaps some section of the government planned fast track road, according to the community.
The fast track will also improve trade linkage with India – Nepal’s largest trading partner – and link the Asian Highway making the country a transit route.