Kathmandu : A Chinese technical team is expected to arrive here in the second half of next month to initiate work of the second phase of Kathmandu Ring Road Improvement Project (KRRIP) along the Kalanki-Maharajgunj-Chabahil section.
“We are now planning to send a formal request letter through the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Planning and Transport to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs requesting China to send the technical team to Nepal,” Amrit Mani Rimal, project head, told The Rising Nepal on Tuesday.
Almost 95 per cent of site clearance works to be done from Nepal’s side have been completed and the remaining 5 per cent will be over by the end of October, 2020, Rimal, who is also senior divisional engineer at the Department of Roads, said.
The Ring Road expansion project is going to be implemented under the total assistance of the Chinese government.
Relocation of electricity poles have almost completed and only the installation of electricity wires is left in one or two places of the project site, which too will be completed by the second week of October, 2020, Rimal said.
Similarly, tree felling work has completed; a total of 2,065 trees were cut down. Also, works on the drinking water and sewage pipelines are likely to complete by the end of September, Rimal said.
“We have not felt much problem owing to the lockdown imposed due to the coronavirus as most of the workers engaged to clear the hurdles along the project site are associated with the government offices, be it the Electricity Authority, Department of Roads, or Kathmandu Upatyaka Khanepani Limited,” Rimal claimed.
The staff members working in these offices don’t have any problem to go and work in the field, he said. “When the Chinese team arrives here, they will come up with their preliminary design and the detailed project report (DPR) to begin the work,” he said.
Earlier in January this year, the Chinese government had officially handed over the 10.39 km Kalanki-Koteshwor road section to the Office of Kathmandu Ring Road Project, built by the Shanghai Construction Group Co. Ltd. at a cost of Rs. 5.13 billion.
The cost of the second phase 11.6 km project will definitely increase in comparison to the first phase, he said. Beginning from the Syuchatar bridge of Kalanki, the second phase expansion ends at Dhobikhola in front of Gopikrishna Movies, he said.
Also, to clear the hurdles demolition of 19 houses around Maharajgunj will begin shortly as an understanding has already been reached to provide compensation to the houses to be demolished. The Office has tentatively figured out that it will cost Rs. 2 billion while providing land compensation (except houses) in the area.
Also, the Office had allocated Rs. 107 million for the removal of the electricity poles and Rs. 200 million to the Kathmandu Upatyaka Khanepani Limited to manage the lines of drinking water and sewage system.
On January 1, the government had approved the proposal to acquire the land in some parts of Kalanki-Maharajgunj road section that will be expanded to 31 metres each on either side apart from the existing road width of the Ring Road. There are houses constructed in Maharajgunj within 15 metres of the road side, he said.
The project should be completed in three years right from the formal beginning of the project, Rimal said. The road will have eight lanes along with additional six-metre lanes on both sides for the pedestrians.
According to Rimal, there will be one underpass at Maharajgunj, two flyovers and 10 overhead bridges as per the preliminary design of the project. -TRN
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