By Lokendra Joshi, Darchula, Mar.24: The Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) of the Darchula-Tinkar Road Project of the Mahakali corridor connecting Brahmadev of Kanchanpur to Taklakot of China via Tinkar of Darchula has been approved.

As per the proposal of the Ministry of Forest and Environment, the meeting of the Council of Ministers of the Government of Nepal on April 22 has decided to give permission to use the forest area for road construction and to remove tree poles.

Achyut Bilas Panta, Chief of the Mahakali Corridor Project, said, “According to the EIA prepared in the past, there was a problem in the use of the forest area. However, the door to use the forest area has opened with the EIA approval and amendment on cutting down the trees.”

Permission has been obtained to use 253.36 hectares of the national forest area of various community forests under Kanchanpur, Dadeldhura, Baitadi, and Darchula districts for construction and upgrading of the Mahakali Corridor.

The project has also stated that the road construction work will be accelerated as the government of Nepal has given the approval to remove 19,066 tree poles.

Earlier, after finishing the work of collecting the number of trees in the road area as well as imprinting the number on them, the attained data sent to the Ministry for approval. 

Chief of the Mahakali Corridor Project, Panta, said that the trees will be cut down as per the agreement with the forest after the data is approved by the ministry.

There has been an obstruction on road construction from the first year because of not having the environmental impact assessment. The process of cutting down trees that fall in the Division Forest Office area has started off.

The construction of the Mahakali corridor from Kanchanpur to Tinkar of Darchula has been initiated by the Nepal government with an aim to increase the trading connectivity between Nepal, China, and India. 

The government has handed over the responsibility to the Nepali Army to open the remaining 87 km track from Ghantibagar to Tinkar out of 134 km of Darchula-Tinkar road section under the Mahakali Corridor.

Currently, the Nepali Army is deployed on the site for road construction. A budget of Rs 320 million has been allocated for the construction of the corridor in the current fiscal year.

"An additional Rs. 900 million has been allocated to complete the construction of the Mahakali Corridor on a multi-year contract", said Pant.

Construction of the Mahakali Corridor is still in limbo, as only 142 kilometres of track has been opened on the total 425-kilometre-long corridor.

It has been 13 years since the construction of the corridor from Brahmadev to Tinkar of Darchula was commenced. The government had started work on the Darchula-Tinkar road in line with the concept of Mahakali Corridor from the fiscal year 2065/66 BS. 

The total cost of the Mahakali Corridor project is estimated at Rs. 18 billion.

The Mahakali Corridor project has so far spent Rs 1.5 billion. The contract agreement will be signed in the lower section from Khalanga, Darchula this year.

President of Darchula Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Mangal Singh Thagunna said that it was necessary to operate the checkpoint by widening the road to Tinkar to open the door for the development and prosperity of the district.

He said that there was a lot of potentials to support tourism and economic development if only pilgrims and tourists going to Mansarovar could be given priority by operating roads to the border.