Kathmandu, June 3:

The Department of Roads (DoR) is all set to involve private builders in the construction of the

long-awaited Tarai Fast Track Road linking the Capital city with the southern plains through the shortest distance.

The department today invited expression of interests from the private builders to construct the fast track road on Build, Own, Operate and Transfer (BOOT) model.

The builders getting the award would construct the road and operate it to generate income before handing it over to the government after a certain period.

“We have sought involvement of private entrepreneurs and sharing of their resources and expertise in construction of Nepal’s one of the highly important sectors of infrastructure development,” said director general of the department Tulasi Prasad Sitaula.

He hoped that the construction of the road would begin soon.

He added that persons, firms and joint ventures were eligible to express their interests for the project within a month.

He also said the detailed feasibility study of the proposed road, designed under the technical assistance of the Asian Development Bank, has already been carried out and the department has received the final study report.

After completion of the project, the distance between Kathmandu and the Tarai will be only 82 kilometres.

This project, in its initial design, aims to reach Nijgadh in two hours.

The Asian Development Bank has provided Rs 20 million assistance for the project’s initial works.