Although most of the construction work on the Kathmandu-Tarai-Madhes Expressway is progressing at a rapid pace, the work on the departure point has not begun yet. The dispute over the departure point of Khokana-Bungmati, mentioned in the initial Detailed Project Report (DPR), continues. The Nepali Army has not yet decided whether to settle the dispute over Khokana or start from a new location for the expressway being built.
The issue of heritage in Khokana Bungmati is also being raised by locals and heritage workers. The Khokana-Bungmati dispute is the one that comes to mind when the question of the expressway comes up. There is a dilemma over whether the departure point of this expressway, which is said to be 70.9 kilometers long, with 4.6 kilometers in Kathmandu, 9 kilometers in Lalitpur, 49.77 kilometers in Makawanpur and 7.6 kilometers in Bara district, will be Khokana-Bungmati or not. Locals are protesting against the construction of the expressway, saying that the natural beauty of Khokana will be destroyed if this road is built. Amidst the protests, the construction of the expressway in the area has not been able to move forward. The military officials involved in the construction seem to be worried about this issue.
The Nepali Army is preparing to amend the DPR prepared through this road. If the state itself cannot resolve the Khokana-Bungmati dispute, building the road from another location will increase both the length and time of the expressway. Even the locals are confused about whether the road will be built from the Khokana area or not. The Nepali Army, on the other hand, emphasizes that the problem should be resolved from the government level since politics is involved in the Khokana-Bungmati land dispute.
Nepali Army spokesperson Rajaram Basnet said, “Repeated talks and discussions are being held to reach an agreement in the disputed Khokana area. Construction work is underway in other places besides this area. During the construction of the expressway, a bridge is being built 82 meters above the Dharahara. 89 state-of-the-art bridges and 6 tunnels are being built. Many of the construction works that needed to be started have been completed.”
Prime Minister Sushila Karki, who visited the expressway on-site a few days ago, had also taken the Khokana dispute seriously and directed that it be resolved quickly. Prime Minister Karki emphasized that religious beliefs and cultural heritage should not be affected while moving forward with road infrastructure and development projects, and that if necessary, the delineation and zero point should be changed while building the expressway. She said that the concerns of the locals should be taken seriously and a solution should be found.
In 2018, the government of Nepal handed over the responsibility of constructing this project to the Nepali Army. After only 45 percent of the work was completed in the eight years since it took over, questions have been raised about the Nepali Army itself. The army said, “Even though we took responsibility, the previous DPR did not work, it took 4 years to prepare the documents, prepare the DPR and get it approved. We started building the expressway in 2022.
During the construction of this road, the Nepali Army had cut down more than 54,000 trees. In return, more than 150,000 trees have been planted. During the construction of the road, work is being done to plant trees by installing modern technology on the walls of the mountains.
Nepali Army Project Chief Dharmendra Jha said, “The work of constructing the initial structures to be done in the first phase is almost complete. Out of 89 bridges, 85 bridges have been contracted and implemented. There are problems related to land acquisition in 4 bridges on the Khokana-Bungmati road section. Of the bridges under construction, the base structure of 54 bridges has been completed. Some structures of 34 bridges have been completed. Construction work of special nature bridges up to 82 meters high has been completed at 13 places.
According to the project, the work has progressed slowly due to DPR revisions, geographical complexity, land acquisition and delays in the contract process. As the problem has not been resolved yet in the Khokana-Bungmati section, the chances of the project being completed on time seem slim. However, Nepal Army spokesperson Basnet is confident that the expressway will be built on time
