19 May, Kathmandu: The Department of Roads (DoR) has sought Rs 1 billion in the upcoming budget to speed up trade routes widening work. For last three years, the government has been working on a project to upgrade and widen four selected sections of trade routes to six lanes. The government’s Trade Route Improvement Project includes widening of Surya Binayak-Dhulikhel, Belhiya-Butwal, Rani-Itahari and Birjung-Pathalaiya sections. These are the country’s trade routes with India and China. The government in 2010 had decided to widen the routes to help boost trade. However, work to this effect has not moved as anticipated due to shortage of resources and procedural delays. “We have requested the government to allocate Rs 1 billion for the trade routes widening work for upcoming fiscal year,” said Pramila Devi Bajracharya, project chief of Asset Management, Contract Management and Quality Control Project of the department. Bajracharya said they are currently working on two sections — Belhiya-Butwal (24.04 km) and Rani-Itahari (up to Dharan 50 km). In the current fiscal year, the government provided Rs 310 million to the project. The department recently called a tender for widening the 3-km of Rani-Itahari section, while construction of a 7.5-km section of the Belhiya-Butwal route is under way. The widening of the 24.04-km Belhiya-Butwal route is expected to cost Rs 3 billion and the work is estimated to complete within the next three years. Three contractors are involved in upgrading three stretches from both ends — Butwal and Belhiya. The department is working to award contracts to two construction companies for upgrading 1.5-km section each of the road . The contractors selected will widen the road to six-lanes and also improve junctions by constructing bus stops, installing traffic and road safety measures, including road markings and signs and bridges. However, widening plan of two other sections — Birgunj-Pathlaiya and Suryabinak-Dhulikhel — has not made headway. An official at the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport said the government did not initiated work on the sections because some donor agencies have expressed interest to fund the projects. The World Bank and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) have showed interest on Birgunj-Pathlaiya and Suryabinak-Dhulikhel sections, respectively. If the government keeps the road improvement work in its priority and the project moves smoothly, the work is expected to complete within the next six-seven years, according to the department. It has also requested the government to include the project in the country’s upcoming three-year interim plan.