Meagre budget for railway

ALTHOUGH the government has targeted to start construction of the ambitious railway project — East- West Electric Railway — in the current fiscal year, allocation of resources to this plan is very little. The project has been allocated Rs 1.4 billion for continuing detailed studies and starting construction of railway lines. In the budget for current fiscal year, the government has announced that it will begin the construction of the 108-km railway line of Bardibas- Simara segment under the East-West Railway project. The detailed project report (DPR) of Simara-Butwal segment is also targeted for completion within the current fiscal year, apart from starting the DPR for four other segments between Butwal-Gaddachauki in the Far-west. Officials of the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport are “stunned” by the government’s target. “We do not know how the Finance Ministry included the plan to start the construction with such a tiny budget,” said a high-level ministry official. The official said the Finance Ministry included the plan without proper consultations with his ministry. The DPR conducted by South Korean consulting firms earlier this year has shown the construction of the Bardibas- Simara (including Simara- Birgunj link of 36 km) section will cost around Rs 100 billion, depending on facility, safety measures, quality and level of service to be incorporated. It has concluded the government will need Rs 4.26 billion for land acquisition and resettlement. The ambitious railway connects Kakkadbhitta of in the East with Gaddachauki in the West passing through business hubs of Tarai. A feasibility study held by RITES India has estimated the project’s cost at Rs 800 billion. The Korean consultants, who prepared the DPR of Bardibas-Simara segment, have said the rail line will cost a minimum of Rs 720 million per km which will have a topspeed of 160 km per hour. The Railway Department said since the budget is not enough for starting the construction this fiscal year, they will mainly focus on completing the DPR of other sections, building capacity of the officials and seeking donors’ support. An official of the department said the Korean government “is very much keen” on supporting Nepal in railway development work. The government has long been planning railway as an alternative means to land transport for faster and cheaper transport service. The government’s plans on the railway sector include construction of new railway lines in the country, including 945-km East West Railway, 259-km Pokhara-Kathmandu railway, 113-km six connection links from East-West Railway to Indian Railway network, and a metro railway system for the Capital. A computer-generated photograph of the proposed Simara Station.