Biratnagar, Mar. 18: Works to construct three structures have begun simultaneously in Biratnagar Integrated Check Post (ICP) area. Construction of Railway Nepal’s customs yard located at Budhnagar in Biratnagar Metropolitan City-18, link road connecting ICP yard to keep containers carried by the train and a litigation godown to store the seized goods imported illegally has started simultaneously.
The Nepal Intermodal Transport Development Board has started the initial phase works by signing an agreement with a contractor company for the construction of a container yard at a cost of Rs. 500 million, the access road at a cost of Rs. 60 million and a litigation warehouse at a cost of Rs. 48 million.
According to an engineer with Nepal Intermodal Transport Development Board Pramod Acharya, an agreement has been reached to complete the construction of the 28,000 square-metre container yard within 18 months at a cost of Rs. 500 million.
The containers brought by the train will be kept in the yard after reaching the ICP premises.
The yard will be built in such a way that three containers can be placed in one place by stacking them one upon another, said Acharya.
Work to expand the access road to connect the ICP is moving in full swing.
The goods-loaded containers will soon enter ICP from the Nepal Railway Yard through the road network.
According to the short-term plan for the expansion of this ICP, the road network will be used, but in the long-term, the goal is to connect the customs yard and the ICP by railway.
Similarly, the construction of a separate warehouse has started to store smuggled goods from India after they are seized by the police and customs patrol team.
The litigation warehouse will be constructed in an area of 48.11 square metres and is planned to complete within a year.
The work on container yard and link road has started as part of the necessary preparations to be made by Nepal to bring cargo trains into operation from Bathnaha in India to Nepal customs yard at Budhanagar of Biratnagar ICP.
In the first phase, after the cargo rail reaches the Nepal customs yard, the container will be brought to the ICP’s customs yard by a cargo vehicle for inspection.
The construction of the railway yard in the section between customs yard and ICP will also be started after the completion of this work. The tender for its construction has already been called.
As the construction of the railway extending to Kathari in Morang will take some more time, cargo trains stand ready to be brought to the completed Nepal customs yard in Budhanagar. However, due to a lack of necessary infrastructure, Nepal has not been able to bring the completed railway into use.
Out of the 18.6 kilometres of the railway line, a railway leak test was conducted in October 2019 at a distance of seven kilometres from Bathnaha Railway Station to Nepal customs yard at Budhanagar in Biratnagar. Since then, the train has been coming frequently carrying necessary materials for the purpose of railway expansion. -The Rising Nepal
