Araniko Highway won't face budget shortage: Finance Minister Mahat

Kathmandu: Finance Minister Dr. Prakash Sharan Mahat has said there would not be a shortage of budget for the expansion of the Araniko Highway.

The highway is being expanded into a six-lane roadway. The Finance Minister Mahat said this while addressing the Seventh District Assembly of the District Coordination Committee, Kavrepalanchowk in Dhulikhel today.

'The budget would not be stopped, affecting the ongoing road expansion works for developing the Araniko Highway into a six-lane one. I hope the expansion works are completed soon. The budget for this purpose would not be stopped for any reason,' he reiterated.

The Suryabinayak-Sanga and Sanga-Dhulikhel sections of the highway are being expanded in two phases in three years. The road expansion works on the two sections with a total length of 15.5 kilometres started from Sanga on February 28, 2023.

The Sanga-Dhulikhel section, in Araniko Highway, is 8.4 kilometers long while the Suryabinayak-Sanga section is 7.5 kilometers long. Rs 4.05 billion has been earmarked for the construction of the Sanga-Dhulikhel section while Rs. 3.88 billion for the Suryabinayak-Sanga section.

Minister Mahat expressed the belief that the economy would revive in the coming days and the government would encourage the private sector. On the occasion, Committee chief Deepak Gautam presented the proposed policy and program for the fiscal year 2023/24.

RSS