Nuwakot, Sept 9: Finance Minister Dr Prakash Sharan Mahat has assured of the government’s commitments to secure the Chinese cooperation for the construction of a tunnel connecting Tokha of Kathmandu to Chhahare in Nuwakot.
In his address to a programme organised by the Nepali Congress, Nuwakot at Bidur on Saturday, the Minister said that the project was of highly significance in terms of bilateral trade as it contributes to boost Nepal-China trade relations.
As he said, the government has made up the mind to propose the Chinese side to invest in the project during the upcoming China visit of Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’.
“The Finance Ministry has prioritised agenda of seeking the Chinese support in the construction of the Tokha- Chhahare tunnel way during the Prime Minister’s visit. The project is estimated to cost around 50 billion rupees and in the current fiscal year, the government has allocated one billion rupees. We have been preparing to propose China for cooperation to complete the project,” he said.
Nuwakot serves as the shortest route for travelling along the Kathmandu-Rasuwagadhi, one of the major trade and transit routes between Nepal and China, according to the Finance Minister Mahat who said the project could potentially reduce transportation costs for bilateral trade by up to fifty percent.
The Finance Minister also hoped to receive positive response from the Chinese side for the cooperation proposal.
