Kathmandu, September 26

The new modern town development plan has finally received momentum. The government has selected consultants to prepare an integrated infrastructure development plan (IDP), which is the master plan for the overall development of the proposed 10 new towns.

Five years ago, the government had decided to build 10 modern towns along the Mid-Hill Highway, passing from Chiyo Bhanjyang in Panchthar district in the east to Jhulaghat in Baitadi district in the west. However, the plan had been moving at a snail’s pace and there was no significant progress except for the selection of the 10 locations.

In 2011, the government had selected Patan (Baitadi), Sanfebagar (Achham), Rakam Karnali (Dailekh), Chaurjahari (Rukum), Burtibang (Baglung), Dumre Bhansar (Tanahun), Baireni Galchhi (Dhading), Khurkot (Sindhuli), Basantapur (Taplejung) and Phidim (Panchthar) as locations to be established as modern towns.

“The agreement for the preparation of IDP has been signed with consultants and we are hopeful of getting a report within the current fiscal year,” said Raju Man Manandhar, chief of the New Town Project Co-ordination Office (NTPCO) under the Department of Urban Development and Building Construction (DoUDBC), which supervises the new town project.

He said that the report would come up with the size of estimated resources required, funding source, types of infrastructure required and primarily act as the main guideline for coordinated development of the proposed towns.

The IDP will guide in land-use plan, physical infrastructure development, identification of locations for industries, residential areas, health institutions, school and college areas, extension of public utilities and roads, among others. Going by the agreement, consultants are required to complete the IDP preparation within eight months.

Five consultants have been awarded contracts, under which each will prepare IDP of two towns.

Even though the master plan is yet to be prepared, the work on land pooling, inner road construction and other infrastructure development like city bus park have already started in some proposed towns. DoUDBC officials said that though the project is big, the focus of the government toward its implementation is low. As of now, the town development project has been listed as a second priority (P2) project, giving it less priority.

Earlier, the National Planning Commission (NPC) had also been requested by DoUDBC to accord the project the P1 status and speed up development. So far, the Ministry of Finance has been allocating fund categorising the project under P2. The town development plan has been allocated a budget of Rs 440 million in the current fiscal year.

As per the progress report of the Ministry of Urban Development (MoUD), a total of 96 ropanis of land in different planned towns have been acquired as of last fiscal year. Preparation of IDP, land acquisition, formulation of land development plan and readying detailed engineering design of various infrastructure to be developed are some of the targets for the current fiscal year.

However, DoUDBC officials said that due to the impact of the earthquake and tensions related to the new constitution, consultants have not been able to visit the sites and start work, which will make achieving the current fiscal year’s targets tough.

Meanwhile, DoUDBC has started making preparations to add two new towns along the Mid-Hill Highway. Manandhar said that studies are underway to incorporate Surkhet and Pyuthan as new towns. Through the policies and programmes of the current fiscal year, President Ram Baran Yadav had announced of developing Surkhet and Pyuthan as new towns. This will take the total number of new towns planned to 12.