Kathmandu. Minister for Physical Infrastructure and Transport Devendra Dahal has said that environment-friendly transport and development infrastructure are Nepal’s priorities.
Inaugurating the international conference organized by the Society of Transport Engineers Nepal, which began in Kathmandu today, he said that environmental damage will be prevented from occurring right from the construction of development infrastructure and that environment-friendly vehicles will be encouraged.
Noting that the government is active in making Nepal’s transport system modern and well-organized, Minister Dahal said that Nepal’s goal is to develop an environment-friendly, sustainable, technology-enabled, disability-friendly and user-friendly transport system.
‘In addition to building safe, strong and environment-friendly road infrastructure, we will also promote urban and rural transport.’ The need of the hour is to expand the road network connecting the region and implement policies and legal frameworks to bring about improvements in public transport, road safety and other sectors. The government is working towards that, he said.
Noting that Nepal’s infrastructure construction is rapidly underway in recent times, where until two decades ago, the main road in the country was the East-West Highway, Minister Dahal said that currently, three major East-West Highways and one highway of Asian standards are being constructed simultaneously.
Similarly, the North-South Highway and Corridor are also being developed, and besides the capital Kathmandu, important roads are being constructed from a commercial and strategic perspective. Stating that it is necessary to break the narrative that nothing has happened and nothing could happen in Nepal, Minister Dahal opined that two international airports have been built in addition to roads and bridges and that Nepal has entered the era of modern tunnels.
‘The Nagdhunga Tunnel is preparing to be operational within the next year and a ‘breakthrough’ has been made in the Siddhababa Tunnel. The construction of the Kathmandu-Terai-Madhes Fast Track is underway at a rapid pace,’ Minister Dahal said, ‘We will show those who say nothing has happened that the four- to six-lane East-West Highway and at least two-lane North-South Road have been completely constructed within a few years.’
In the program, Secretary of the Ministry Keshav Kumar Sharma shed light on the status, stages and future direction of infrastructure construction in Nepal. Dr. Hareram Shrestha, chairman of the organizing organization, informed that experts and professors from different countries of the world will present working papers at the three-day conference.
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