Kathmandu, Apr. 17: The Bagmati area sewer construction and improvement project implementation and monitoring committee today initiated the construction of a tunnel from Tamraganga to Tilganga.
Construction of the 522 meter-tunnel, which was first initiated in 053/054 B.S. through Khumbu Construction, had turned into a fiasco as the contract with the construction company had been terminated in 2055 B.S. due to some technical reasons. The company had dug about 185 meter-tunnel at that time, according to committee member secretary Ramdip Shaha.
Now, as per the government decision a contract has been signed with China Sangdong International technical and economic cooperation corporation to construct the remaining 337m-portion of the tunnel.
According to information given at the function held to initiate the tunnel construction, the Rs.89.33 million project will be completed in 14 months.
At the function, the general manager of the Chinese Construction Company expressed his determination to complete the project on time and hand it over to His Majesty’s Government.
From the chair, committee chairman Bidur Prasad Poudel described political instability and lack of a development vision among politicians as an impediment to development and construction works.
Since the Bagmati River cannot be cleaned without cleaning all the rivers in Kathmandu Valley, it is imperative on the part of the government to formulate a legislation for cleaning up the river banks, he observed.
Committee member Yadav Kharel, referring to various cases of the river banks being sold, demanded that the government take stern action against those involved in such illegal activities.
Kathmandu ward No. 8 chairman Narottam Vaidya pledged every possible cooperation of the ward in the construction of the tunnel.
On the occasion, member-secretary at the Pashupati Area Development Trust Chetonath Gautam, committee member Bharat Sharma and others spoke about various aspects of implementing and monitoring of the project.
Formed in 2052 B.S. the Bagmati area sewer construction and improvement project implementing and monitoring committee has designed the project work in four phases.
It has already initiated the construction of sewers from Gokarna to Tamraganga and from Mitra Park to Tamraganga, a tunnel from Tamraganga to Tilganga, a sewage treatment plant near Guhweshwori and eight meters wide road and 12 meters wide green belt along the Bagmati river banks from Gokarna to Tamraganga in the first and second phases.
The committee has already completed the construction of 1,446 meter-sewerage in Mitra Park, Gaurighat and Tamraganga section.
The sewage treatment plant, currently under construction, is expected to be complete by the end of Fagun, 2057 B.S. some 61 per cent work has already been completed.
Likewise, about 95 Ropanis of land has already been acquired for construction of the treatment plant and a road up to the Centre, while work is under way to acquire the land required to develop the green belt.