Kathmandu, May 21 

The government has formally named an under construction double-lane highway ‘Madan Bhandari Highway' through the policies and programmes of the government announced today.

The name of the highway, which was informally called ‘Chure Highway' earlier, was announced by President Bidhya Devi Bhandari while she presented the government's ‘Policies and Programmes' at the Parliament today. The Cabinet had decided to name the highway after the late communist leader on Sunday.

Being developed as an alternative to the country's East-West (Mahendra) Highway, construction of the 1,200-kilometre-long Madan Bhandari Highway, which will extend from Shantinagar of Jhapa in the east to Rupal of Dadeldhura in the west, is already under way. The government has set a target to complete the project within the next 10 years.

According to Rajendra Raj Sharma, spokesperson for Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport (MoPIT), the highway had been split into 11 sections. The first section includes Shantinagar of Jhapa to Dharan; the second section comprises Dharan-Chatara-Gaighat-Sindhuli to Hetauda; while the third section includes Hetauda to Gaindakot. MoPIT is planning to merge the Hetauda-Gaindakot section of Madan Bhandari Highway with East-West Highway, Sharma informed.

Similarly, Gaindakot to Ridi form the fourth section, Ridi to Simaltari of Gulmi is in the fifth section, Simaltari to Pyuthan make up the sixth section, Pyuthan to Dang has been categorised as the seventh section, eighth section include Ghorahi to Surkhet, Surkhet to BP Nagar of Doti had been divided as the ninth section, 10th section include BP Nagar to Buder of Doti and the last section comprise Buder to Rupal of Dadeldhura district.

Sharma had earlier informed that the contract to construct the 315-kilometre-long section of the highway from Dharan to Hetauda had already been awarded and construction works are ongoing.