Kathmandu, June 20:

Minister for Physical Planning and Works Hisila Yami today made public a 20-year development plan at her ministry.

Yami said that her ministry will be working on a war footing to materialise the 20-year plan, drafted recently by the ministry to develop physical infrastructure of the country.

“The ministry will complete construction of a 1,700-km Mid-Hill Highway in 20 years and black top it too,” she said, making the document public at the ministry today.

According to the plan, Nepal will be developed as a transit corridor point between China and India — 10 points with China and 22 points with India will be developed in five development regions, which will be added with a dry port at each of the points.

Roads linking Jajarkot, Manang, Mustang, Diktel, Solukhumbu, Dolpa, Mugu, Humla and Bajura will be constructed in three years. She also said private sector participation will be encouraged in the road sector.

She said, “We have a dream, a vision and also a sincere commitment to make Nepal something other than what the former government had left it to be.”

A water treatment system will be developed in 20 years. “There will be numerous sewage treatment plants to control river pollution in the Valley in 20 years,” she said, adding that a policy will be drafted for laying sewage lines and solid waste management.

In three years, parallel sewage lines will be laid along the Bagmati river from Tilganga to Shankhamul and the water treatment plant of Kodku at Balkumari will be reconstructed. Wastewater will be released in the Bagmati through these lines, according to the document.

Yami has expressed commitment to provide permanent houses to the entire population in the next 20 years.

She said that the Ministry had been a “centre of corruption” for many decades and an effective programme will be launched to control corruption.

In addition, she has a specific plan for the Kathmandu Valley to develop it as a model city for the whole country. She said that the Valley should be developed as a tourist, cultural and administrative centre. An integrated physical development plan should be drawn for the valley, the draft plan states, adding that satellite towns will be developed to ease population pressure in the valley.

“The Melamchi project will be completed in the given date. In the meantime, each house in the valley will be encouraged to harvest rainwater to address scarcity of water.”