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Nepal’s first podway is set to be constructed in Biratnagar, with the first seven-kilometer section planned from Rani border point to Biratnagar Bus Park as a pilot project.

The Kathmandu Podway Company has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for the project, according to Dr Saroj Koirala, chief executive director of the Koshi Province Investment Authority.

The company plans to eventually extend the podway from Rani to Bhedetar in Sunsari. It will first construct the Rani-Bus Park section and has begun preparations to establish an office in Biratnagar and start work on the detailed project report (DPR).

Koirala said the DPR will be completed within 10 months, followed by physical construction, with the Rani-Bus Park section expected to be completed within two years.

The company has deposited Rs 6 million as a performance guarantee with the Koshi provincial government. The seven-kilometer section is estimated to cost Rs 6 billion, while the full Rani-Bhedetar project is expected to cost around Rs 65 billion.

Koirala said the podway is not expected to create problems for road infrastructure or traffic management as it will operate along the middle of the road.

The project is primarily aimed at providing Indian tourists with faster and easier access to the tourist destination of Bhedetar. Stations will be built every two kilometers, and Koirala said the Rani-Bhedetar journey could take about 30 minutes once the full project is completed.

Tourism entrepreneurs expect the podway to help attract more Indian tourists by providing faster and easier access to Bhedetar.

Although podway projects have been discussed in various parts of Nepal, Koirala claimed this is the first project to have completed the necessary procedures and entered the construction process. He said it would also be the first podway project in the country to actually develop physical infrastructure.

The project was included in the Koshi Province Investment Summit held last year. Projects that received investment commitments at the summit are now moving toward implementation.

Of the projects worth Rs 173 billion presented by the provincial government at the summit, MoUs were signed for projects worth Rs 152.16 billion, according to the Koshi Province Investment Authority.

The authority said MoUs were signed for eight agriculture 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 information technology projects worth Rs 470 million, 10 tourism projects worth Rs 34.19 billion and two waste management projects worth Rs 600 million.

The summit also saw MoUs signed for 19 private-sector projects and 27 public-private partnership projects.

The Koshi Province Investment Authority has also approved investment in four projects. At its 33rd meeting this year, the authority approved Rs 2.0853 billion in investment under the public-private partnership model.

At a meeting held a few days ago, the authority finalized four projects from among the proposals presented at the Koshi Province Investment Summit based on their feasibility.

A modern waste management project will be developed in Duhabi Municipality-4 at a cost of Rs 559.5 million by Revive Infratech and Investment. Likewise, a multi-chamber and cold storage facility will be built in Duhabi Municipality-4 and 10 with an investment of Rs 340 million by Dirghayu Agro and Investment.

Similarly, Rampur Multipurpose Agriculture Farm will invest Rs 200 million in a fertilizer plant and livestock project, including waste management, in Belaka Municipality-9, Udayapur.

Urban Explorer Pvt Ltd has also received permission to develop and operate the Rash Lake area in Ramdhuni Municipality-7, Sunsari, as a tourism destination.

By Binod Subedi