Kathmandu, July 7: Minister for Physical Infrastructure Development, Sunil Lamsal, has said the government plans to construct more than 3,000 bridges across the country, along with underpass and overpass on major highways, to thereby improve road connectivity and safety.
Responding to lawmakers’ queries on the budget allocated to his ministry under the Appropriation Bill, 2083 BS during today’s National Assembly meeting, Minister Lamsal said the government has placed high priority on reducing road accidents. He said the bridges would be built over rivers, rivulets, streams and other accident-prone locations to improve road safety.
The government has also prioritized the construction of suspension bridges to replace unsafe tuins (rope crossings) in remote areas.
Addressing concerns raised by National Assembly members over the poor condition of roads in Karnali Province, the Minister assured that one-lane roads in the province would be upgraded to two lanes in phases.
He informed that sufficient budget has been allocated for road improvement programmes in the province.
The Minister further said highways leading to major tourist destinations would be upgraded to ensure safer and more reliable transportation.
He informed the Upper House of the Federal Parliament that a special plan has been prepared to address recurring landslides along the Kaligandaki Corridor, with the aim of completing the remaining sections of the strategic trade route connecting Nepal with India and China.
Lamsal also said the government has terminated contracts of several infrastructure projects that remained stalled due to contractors’ negligence.
He shared that the amendment to Public Procurement Act is in progress.Minister La msal expressed his confidence that once the amendment is enacted, it would curb the practice of contractors winning bids by quoting unrealistically low prices and subsequently abandoning the project midway. #nepal #rss
