Outer ring road in limbo

Friday, 26 November 2010 14:08

Share this  Twitter  Myspace  Digg  Del.icio.us  Slashdot  Furl  Yahoo  Googlize this  Blinklist  Facebook  Wikio Export PDF Print E-mail The government will be annulling the ambitious project of outer ring road if the locals shy away from cooperating with it for acquiring necessary lands. "The project is not completely on the verge of cancellation. But, we will be compelled to withdraw if the works on it fail to commence this year in line with the understanding of the concerned local people," Karobar Daily quoted Dip Basnet, secretary, Ministry of Physical Planning and Works, as saying. To commence the project, at least 51 percent people should agree. However, so far, only 14 percent have expressed their consent. According to an assessment report, the proposed ring road will geographically touch 40 Village Development Committees (VDCs), 3 municipalities, 1 sub-municipality and 1 metropolitan city of all the three districts of the Kathmandu valley. Some 7,200 ropains of land will be required for the project. The ministry has been making attempts to make the local people agree to the project since the last seven years but in vain. "Now we cannot wait for more than one year," laments Basnet. Gopi Nath Mainali of National Planning Commission (NPC) also echoed the same voice. "Of course, the outer ring road is a plan of national strategic importance. However, there will no alternative to its annulment if the works cannot begin at all," he said. The Finance Ministry has also decided to reduce the volume of allocation of budget for the project, the estimated cost of which stands at Rs 121.97 billion. The new budget has slashed down the disbursement of budget for the project to Rs 10.95 million in the current fiscal year. Last year, it had earmarked Rs 60 million for the project. According to development infrastructure experts, the Maoists are the major factor responsible for stultifying the project, which was conceptualised for systematic urbanisation. The then Maoist Minister for Physical Planning and Works Hisila Yami had said that the outer ring road should not be constructed without the consent of Newar community, the ethnic dwellers of the Kathmandu valley. The Maoist-affiliated Newa Rajya Samiti had blocked the land related tasks of the project even though the government had already prepared Detailed Project Report (DPR) in various places to proceed with the construction of outer ringroad.nepalnews.com http://www.nepalnews.com/main/index.php/business-a-economy/11090-outer-ring-road-in-limbo.html#