World Bank to invest Rs 1.03bn for road construction in Jhapa

JHAPA: The government will construct a 14-kilometre-long tarmacked road at Shahidmarga and Suryodayamarga in Mechinagar Municipality of Jhapa district under the 'Urban Governance and Infrastructure Project' supported by the World Bank.

Member of the House of Representatives, Bishwo Prakash Sharma, said the World Bank will invest Rs 1.03 billion for the road construction which will help in the development of two important urban areas — Dhulabari and Kakarbhitta — of the town,

It may be noted that the government has already decided to implement the 'Urban Governance and Infrastructure Project' in 33 local government units of seven provinces. In this connection, the World Bank has signed an agreement to provide a concessional loan of $1.5 billion (around Rs 200 billion) to the Government of Nepal.

Sharma, Nepali Congress (NC) general secretary and lawmaker from Jhapa constituency-1, shared that the World Bank has provided a loan of $7.8 million (over Rs 1 billion) for the construction of two roads in Mechinagar of Jhapa constituency-1 under the project.

According to him, a 5.3-kilometre road will be constructed from Dhulabari Mod to the office of Thoplebiran Community Forest of Khuttidangi through the market area under Shaheed Marg. The road will have a breadth of 12m with a drain and double lane. Similarly, an 8.5-km road with 11m breadth from Bhattarai Chowk at Kakarbhitta in the eastern border to Bahundangi Bazaar under Suryodayamarga with a double lane will be tarmacked.

The roads will be constructed under the leadership of local governments. As per the agreement with the World Bank, both roads should be constructed by July 15, 2025.