Kathmandu, January 20 The Nepal Intermodal Transport Development Board (NITDB) has planned to expand the area for the Inland Clearance Depot at Timure of Rasuwagadhi acknowledging the prospect of the trade route, which is linked with the mid-hill highway. Because of this, the ICD could be developed as supply lifeline of country. Initially, NITDB — which develops and manages ICDs in the country — had acquired five hectares of land of Langtang National Park for the construction of the ICD. As per its new plan, it requires additional 3.5 hectares of land. The process of land acquisition has been carried out by the District Administration Office. However, the locals have created problems in acquisition of two hectares of private land. The detailed design of ICD at Timure of Rasuwagadhi, which is going to be constructed on grant assistance of the government of China, has already been initiated. China government-owned Architectural Reconnaissance and Design Institute of Tibet Autonomous Region has started detail design of the project. The expanded project site would have facilities like five-storey administrative building that will house quarantine, customs, banks, staff quarters; a parking lot with accommodative capacity of 350 trucks; godown and clearance shade, among others. The NITDB has drawn attention of Minister for Commerce Deepak Bohara regarding the delays in land acquisition even after the works of detailed design have been initiated. In the programme organised today by NITDB to mark its 19th anniversary, NITDB Executive Director Laxman Basnet drew the attention of higher leadership of the line ministry about the matter. Likewise, NITDB has said that survey and design works of the World Bank- funded project — Container Freight Station (CFS) in Kathmandu — have been stalled since long as NIDC Development Bank has yet to clear the project site. NITDB is going to develop CFS at a total cost of $15.5 million with assistance of the World Bank. The land was earlier owned by Himal Cement Factory. NIDC has already recovered Rs 250 million it had lent to Himal Cement — Rs 120 million was recovered from the government and Rs 130 million through auction of the machineries. The bank had earlier said it would clear the site by July 2015. After that the survey and design of the CFS would start and NITDB has to complete the construction by 2018. In the programme, Minister Bohara said that he will hold talks with Home Affairs Ministry regarding the land acquisition at Timure. Earlier he had also instructed the secretary at the Home Affairs Ministry to expedite land acquisition process. Likewise, he had directed the NITDB to clear the CFS site using its own capacity and take compensation from NIDC Bank if the bank further delayed the process of clearing the site.