Nine months after the Koshi Province Investment Summit, only one project presented at the event has become operational. The public-private partnership (PPP) model project has emerged as a new source of revenue for the provincial government.

The investment summit was held on May 1 and 2, 2025, in which projects worth Rs. 157.18 billion were showcased to potential investors.

Among them, the Sky Walk project at Bhedetar has been completed and came into operation.

The project has been developed by Wonders Amusement Parks and Attractions Pvt. Ltd., under the Wonders Group, in the Bhedetar area located at the border of Sangurigadhi Rural Municipality in Dhankuta and Dharan Sub-Metropolitan City in Sunsari.

According to Dr. Saroj Koirala, Chief Executive Officer at the Office of the Province Investment Authority, Koshi Province, the project was also taken into agreement under public-private partnership at the investment summit.

This project has now become productive for the government.

In its first year of operation, the Sky Walk recorded a turnover of Rs. 72 million. From this, the provincial government received Rs. 3.44 million as service charges and Rs. 600,000 as renewal fees.

In addition, 5 per cent entertainment tax will have to be paid to the local level.

As the project was built in coordination with Sangurigadhi Rural Municipality in Dhankuta and Dharan Sub-metropolitan Cities, revenue has to be shared.

However, there is a provision that 60 per cent of the entertainment tax will be collected by the local level and 40 per cent by the provincial government.

Chief Executive Officer Koirala claimed that the income has been received from the first public-private partnership project put forward by the province in the country.

A total of 51 projects were signed at the investment summit. Within nine months, nine projects have entered the detailed project report (DPR) stage, while three projects are in the process of project development agreements (PDA).

As the review scheduled for October was postponed due to the Gen Z movement, the authority is preparing to conduct a review of all projects by the last week of January, 2026.

Koirala said that out of the 51 projects for which memorandum of understanding (MoUs) were signed at the investment summit, 50 have progressed in one form or another.

Eight agricultural projects worth Rs. 3 billion, three energy projects worth Rs. 8.62 billion, 12 industrial projects worth Rs. 66.87 billion, nine infrastructure projects worth Rs. 38.41 billion, two IT projects worth Rs. 470 million, two solid waste management projects worth Rs. 600 million, and 10 tourism projects worth Rs. 34.19 billion were presented at summit. Of these, 19 private-sector projects had investment commitments totaling Rs. 16.96 billion.

According to him, the target has been set to complete all the projects that have been agreed upon within five years.

Of these, three months were given to study the documents of 24 projects. Fifteen projects were given six months to study the documents and complete the legal process within one year.

Among them, the Panchakhapan Hydropower project, which had signed an MoU at the summit, has secured an investment of Rs. 1.42 billion.

Siddhartha Bank and Rastriya Banijya Bank have already signed agreements to invest in the project.

Koirala said that an investment of Rs. 900 million has been secured for the five-star Hotel Asiatique in the tourism sector.

The construction of a data centre in Itahari, Sunsari is nearing completion, he said.

It has also been informed that the construction of RR Hospital to be built by Raut Construction in Biratnagar has also begun.

Apart from this, it is reported that the first phase of 10 bighas of land has been managed for citrus, avocado and kiwi cultivation in Sangurigadhi and the remaining 20 bighas are in process, and a pilot project of organic fertiliser has been started in Jhapa.

It has been informed that land management work has been started for a coffee farm in Deumai Municipality of Ilam.

Among the projects presented in the summit, the process of the agreement with Big Housing and Construction Pvt. Ltd. in Jhapa has not started, Koirala said.

Apart from that, the operator of the Podway, which was supposed to be built at a cost of Rs. 5 billion in Biratnagar, has been out of contact, he said, and a new process has been started after canceling it.

Although the Koshi Podway Company has signed an agreement, its operator has not been in contact.

After that, the way has been opened for Nepal Podway to proceed with the work. The Department of Roads has already granted right-of-way permission for it.