Lumbini, Feb 12: The Lumbini and Gandaki Provincial governments have forged a common agreement to implement the Gandaki Economic Triangle Project.
The joint meeting of the Lumbini and Gandaki provincial governments convened in historical palace Rani Mahal in Palpa district decided to take forward the proposed Project, a collaboration expected to benefits the citizens of both provinces.
Lumbini Province Chief Minister Chet Narayan Acharya and Gandaki Province Chief Minister Surendra Raj Pandey inked in 21-pointed pledge (commitment) to further strengthening provincial level coordination and collaboration.
The Project, introduced by the federal government in the current fiscal year during the budget speech, aims to achieve an integrated development by connecting Bharatpur-Butwal-Pokhara.
The Project will be developed as a model project for public private partnership and Rs 2 billion has been allocated for it. Under this project, Narayangadh-Butwal section will be developed as centre for construction and heavy, the Muglin-Pokhara section as the centre for agriculture and food processing industry.
Likewise, Pokhara-Butwa section would be promoted as centre for manufacturing electronic appliances, footwear, garments, carpet, household goods and promote service-oriented industries. Bharatpur section will have tourism services, specialized services while Pokhara section will be developed as centre for adventurous and entertaining touristic services and research-oriented higher education.
The Butwal-Bhairahawa section will be developed as religious tourism, data centre and infrastructures to develop IT industries. The first historic meeting was concluded in Palpa’s historic palace Ranimahal, assimilating the spirit of the Constitution, primarily Article 56 which is about the Structure of State.
The meeting ended with making various decisions which include the bilateral cooperation between the two province governments to expand the Nepalgunj-Jomsom and Bhairahawa-Jomsom aviation service, upgrade the Lumbini-Lomanthan (Lumbini-Muktinath) Silk Road, Lumbini-Tribeni-Dumkibas road, Gaindakot-Kaligandaki corridor, Bhimgithe-Burtibang-Gaumukhi-Jhmuk road and other trans-province road connectivity.
The meeting agreed to urge the federal government to expand the Butwal-Pokhara Siddhartha Highway to a double-lane structure. The meeting also made commitments to prioritising the establishment of a provincial industrial corridor, promotion of local produces and creating jobs in the budget and programme for the upcoming fiscal year.
Marketisation of agricultural and livestock products, establishment of a supply outlet with a facility of chilling center and a laboratory of food quality control in Pokhara and Lumbini to ensure products’ quality and improve the distribution system, and establishment of a joint feasibility study committee for preparing the market infrastructure so as to agricultural and livestock products to major market centers have been incorporated in the commitments paper.
Both governments have agreed to come up with programmes to promote hospitality industry. As per the commitments, both provinces are expected to develop the North-South Kaligandai corridor as an economic corridor, to implement enterprise-based, agricultural and livestock-related programmes to transport products from the mountainous and hilly districts to the Terai region and beyond the border, to prepare and implement common programmes for integrated development of tourism-based in natural, historic, cultural and religious heritages, to develop the Lumbini-Pokhara-Muktinath route as a major touristic route and develop the Tribeni-Devghat-Ridi Ruru-Muktinath area as a religious and cultural region.
It has been stated that an environmental and adventure tourism circuit will be developed by including Banke and Bardiya national parks in Lumbini Province and the Chitwan National Park, the Manaslu Conservation Area and Annapurna Conservation Area in Gandaki province and the Dhorpatan Hunting Reserve that falls in both provinces.
Similarly, it is stated that the private sector would be facilitated in using the under-construction Motipur Industrial Area in Butwal and the under-construction Lokaha Khola Industrial Zone by expanding the jurisdiction of the industries situated in both provinces.
Uniformity would be maintained in the service charge and tariffs for the establishment, operation and expansion of mines and mineral-related industries and for systematizing the sale and distribution of natural resources-based products.
It is also stated that the required environment would be prepared for facilitating industrial security, marketization and transportation. The construction and operation of multi-purpose mega water resource projects would be done on the basis of mutual understanding for the maximum benefit of both provinces.
Likewise, recommendation would be made to the federal government for the implementation of the Rampur-Chapakot Integrated Urban Development Project and works would be carried out jointly for developing tourism infrastructure along with lake for the promotion and conservation of Ranimahal of Palpa.
Recommendation would be made, through the project concerned, to the federal government for increasing the flow and volume of water to the downstream area from the Kaligandaki Hydropower Project’s dam site to the downstream areas through Ranimahal.
It is also stated that the coordination meetings would be continued in future for the promotion of collaboration, coordination and partnership between both provinces. The next coordination meeting would be hosted by Gandaki Province.
Addressing the meeting, Lumbini Povince Chief Minister Acharya said a lot of work can be done in an effective manner through inter-province coordination and collaboration. Gandaki Province Chief Minister Pandey stressed on taking concerted initiatives for addressing the issues of common concern. #nepal #rss
