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The construction of the Dodhara Chandani Integrated Check Post and Dry Port, a national priority project, is set to begin soon, with preparatory work such as tree and utility pole removal nearing completion. The Council of Ministers had approved the use of 42.36 hectares of national forest land in the buffer zone of Shuklaphanta National Park (Dodhara Chandani Municipality-1, Kanchanpur) for the project on 18 Sept 2024, granting permission for tree and pole removal.

To implement this decision, a bilateral agreement was signed on Jan 7, between the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation and the Nepal Intermodal Transport Development Committee. For the check post construction, 1,593 trees were identified for felling within the protected area. The Shuklaphanta National Park Office granted permission for tree felling on Feb 6.

A tender for tree felling was published on Feb 13, the contractor was selected, and work commenced on April 21. So far, 940 trees have been felled. The remaining trees are expected to be cleared by late June. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the project was signed between the Government of Nepal and the Government of India on 1 June 2023. The project, which is backed by Indian financial and technical assistance, is estimated to cost Rs 3.8bn. A construction company has been selected from the Indian side, and a formal agreement is expected soon.

“This project has reached this stage thanks to the active and coordinated efforts of Honorable Minister of Industry, Commerce and Supplies Damodar Bhandari,” said Ashish Gajurel, Executive Director of the Nepal Intermodal Transport Development Committee. He credited the progress to the approval of the project’s environmental impact assessment and the decision to permit tree felling. Gajurel also confirmed that the contract process is complete and that tree management will conclude within 15 days, allowing construction to begin within one to two months.

The dry port will feature state-of-the-art trade infrastructure, including roads, parking areas, platforms, warehouses, weighbridges, container yards, passenger terminals, customs facilities, banks, laboratories for livestock and food quarantine, administrative buildings, and other necessary structures. Once operational, it is expected to significantly facilitate trade and become a key milestone in the development of the Far West. In addition to enhancing import capabilities, the dry port is also intended to boost exports from the Far West. According to Gajurel, there are plans to connect the port with India in the second phase of development.

An agreement was signed on Wednesday to allow the felling of trees along the southern section of the Seti Highway. The Ministry of Forest and Environment and the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport reached the agreement, with Acting Chief of the Seti Highway Project Birendra Bahadur Chand and Deputy Director General of the Department of Forest and Soil Conservation Ajit Kumar Karna as signatories.

With this agreement, long-stalled work on the highway can now resume. According to Information Officer Keshav Dutt Mishra, permission has been granted to fell 2,785 trees on 80 hectares of national forest land to construct a 40-kilometer road section between Thuligad, Seti, and Budhi Ganga in Doti. Mishra noted that the agreement was signed without depositing the Rs 400m typically required in the Forest Development Fund.

“The process can now move forward,” Mishra said. “The forest department will carry out another on-site inspection. Once the selected trees are marked, felling will begin.” In accordance with Subsection (1) of Section 42 of the Forest Act 2019, 80 hectares of national forest in Badikedar Rural Municipality-1, 2, 3 and 7 and Bogtan Rural Municipality-3 in Doti will be cleared.

Former Kailali Constituency-2 MP Jhapat Rawal said that the legal hurdles to tree felling have finally been resolved after sustained effort. He criticized what he called impractical forest laws, which he said had obstructed progress on this pride project of the Far West. “The Seti Highway should have been included in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), but unfortunately, it wasn’t,” he said. “It has taken far too long to implement the Cabinet’s decision. The Seti Highway should be developed as a ‘game-changer’ project.” Rawal also claimed that progress has stalled because some groups have misrepresented the highway, which he described as a tri-national route tied to the region’s prosperity.

Felling was previously delayed due to repeated non-implementation of Cabinet decisions. As a result, road construction in the Thuligad area of Doti has been held up. So far, only 126 kilometers of track have been opened in the 204-kilometer southern section. The remaining 78 kilometers are still unopened. The southern section passes through Kailali (72 km), Achham (80 km), Doti (40 km), and Bajura (12 km). Of these, two kilometers in Kailali, 40 in Doti, 24 in Achham, and all 12 in Bajura remain to be opened.

The Seti Highway aims to connect Tikapur in Kailali to the Tikune border crossing with India via Baunia, Doti, Achham, Bajura, Chainpur (Bajhang), and Taklakot in Tibet. The 352-kilometer highway is being constructed in two sections. The southern section is administered from Sanfebagar, while the northern section—148 kilometers in length—is managed from Chainpur, Bajhang. To date, only 72 kilometers of the northern section have been opened.

Presently there is an influence of the westerly and local winds in western and central parts of the country. 

According to the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology, most parts of the Koshi Province are under the influence of monsoon winds. 

This afternoon, there will be partially to generally cloudy weather in the Koshi Province and the hilly areas of the country, while the remaining parts will have clear weather. 

There is a chance of light to moderate rain with thunder and lightning in some places of the Koshi Province and some areas in the hilly regions of other provinces. 

There is also a chance of light rain and snowfall in some areas of the high hilly and mountainous regions. 

Similarly, there will be partial cloudiness in the Koshi Province and the hilly regions of the country, while the remaining parts will mainly see clear weather tonight. 

There is a possibility of light to moderate rain with thunder and lightning in some places of Koshi Province and in one or two places in the hilly areas of Bagmati and Gandaki Provinces. 

There is a possibility of light rain and snowfall in one or two places in the high hilly and mountainous areas of Koshi, Bagmati, and Gandaki Provinces, the department indicated.

Both Houses of the Federal Parliament are holding meetings on Friday. 

The meeting of the House of Representatives (HoR) has been scheduled for 1 pm.

In today's meeting,  Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Bishnu Prasad Paudel is scheduled to table a proposal seeking a general discussion on the annual estimates of revenue and expenditure for the fiscal year 2025/26 BS with statements. 

Similarly, State Affairs and Good Governance Committee President Ramhari Khatiwada is scheduled to present the report on the federal civil service bill, 2082 BS in the meeting. 

Likewise, the National Assembly (NA) will meet  at 1.15 pm today. 

In the meeting, general discussions on the annual estimates of revenue and expenditure will continue. 

The government of China has pledged USD 600,000 (close to CHF 500,000) for 2025 to support the WTO's Least-Developed Countries (LDCs) and Accessions Programme (also known as the China Program), the WTO reported.

The contribution was confirmed at a signing ceremony on June 3 in Paris attended by WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and China’s Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao.

The China Program — launched in July 2011 under the WTO-led Aid for Trade initiative — aims to enable LDCs to better integrate into the global economy by strengthening their participation in WTO activities and helping those not yet members join the Organization.

The signing ceremony was held on the side of a meeting of trade ministers hosted by Australia on the sidelines of the annual Ministerial Council Meeting of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), according to WTO.

The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has announced the termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Nepalis.

In a Federal Register notice, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem stated that after reviewing the current conditions in Nepal and consulting with relevant interagency partners, the country no longer meets the criteria required for TPS designation.

With this, around 7,000 Nepalis living in the US on the basis of TPS will have to return home.

The TPS for Nepal will officially end at 11:59 pm on August 5, 2025, which is 60 days after the publication of the notice.

“If you are currently a TPS beneficiary from Nepal, and have no other lawful basis to remain, you should begin preparations for departure,” the notice said. “Those planning to depart the US can use the CBP One mobile app to facilitate their return process.”

After the devastating earthquake that struck Nepal in 2015, the TPS had allowed around 15, 000 Nepalis to legally reside and work in the United States.

Even during the previous term of US President Donald Trump, he had taken ahead the process to revoke the TPS for Nepal.

At that time, Nepalis were urged to return to their country within 12 months.

With US President Donald Trump assuming his office for the second term, the US has continued the deportations of the immigrants found without official documents back to home.

Earlier on March 6, nine Nepalis, who were living and working illegally in the US, were brought to Kathmandu on a chartered flight.

Two deep divers of the Armed Police Force have gone missing in the Saptakoshi River. 

The Armed Police Force Madhes Province Office has stated that the divers went missing while conducting a rescue drill in the Saptakoshi River. Police constables Suraj Saud and Hardev Rajbanshi of the Dantakali Training Center Barmajiya are reported missing. 

They were practicing to learn how to rescue people trapped in the river during disasters.

Deputy Superintendent of Police Yubaraj Khatiwada, spokesperson of the District Police Office, Sunsari, said that the search for the missing divers is underway.

The Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) plunged by 5. 49 points to close at 2, 641. 46 points on Thursday.

The sensitive index, however, surged by 0. 10 points to close at 451. 43 points.

A total of 17,108,809-unit shares of 311 companies were traded for Rs 7. 97 billion.

Meanwhile, River Falls Power Limited (RFPL) was the top gainer today with its price surging by 10. 00 percent. Likewise, Om Megashree Pharmaceuticals Limited (OMPL) was the top loser as its price fell by 9. 76 percent.

At the end of the day, the total market capitalization stood at Rs 1. 48 trillion.