Kathmandu. The Kaligandaki Corridor (Beni-Jomsom-Korala) Road Project under the North-South Trade Expansion Project has called for multi-year contract for the construction of the road linking Koralaka (Chusang-Ghami). Issuing a notice on Friday, the project has called for a tender for upgrading and blacktopping the Chusang-Ghami road.

Tejashwi Sharma, chief of the project, said that multi-year contracts have been called in two packages for the up-gradation and blacktopping of the road. A multi-year contract has been called for the 20.1 kilometer road from Chusang to Bhena and 20.1 kilometers from Bhena to Ghami (second section).

The 14-kilometer road from Chusang to Bhena would cost more than Rs 1 billion and the six-kilometer road from Bhena to Ghami would cost around Rs 1 billion.

Sharma said that the project will start works immediately after Tihar after completing the contract agreement within mid-October. Earlier, in April last year, the Ministry of Finance had allocated Rs 3.15 billion for the construction of Korala road section (Chusang-Ghami).

The construction of the Korala road under the Kaligandaki Corridor (Beni-Jomsom-Korala) road project had begun in the fiscal year 2073/74 BS. Of the total 110 kilometers of gravel road, construction was started in seven packages and it was handed over to the project after completing it in the fiscal year 2076/77 BS.

Last fiscal year, Rs 288.7 million was allocated for the upgradation and blacktopping of 9.8-km Kagbeni-Chusang road. According to the project, 25 per cent physical progress has been made in the upgradation of the Kagbeni-Chusang road.

The upgradation of the road from Jomsom to Kagbeni is underway. The contract agreement was signed with Kalimata-Thapakaji-Rasuwa JV Construction at a cost of Rs 70 million. Road protection, drain construction and construction of plum concrete wall have been forwarded in order to make the existing blacktopping road long-term.

Sharma said that the construction of blacktopped road from Maldhunga of Parbat to Ghami of Mustang under the project is underway and it has been completed and a contract has been called.

The government has given high priority to the Korala border point. Minister for Infrastructure, Sunil Lamsal, inspected the Korala road in the third week of June and said that there would be no budget crunch in the project.

The Nepal-China North Korala border point was fully opened by the government on September 31 this year. The government has put the road linking North Korlana in top priority as more than Rs six billion has been collected in customs revenue with the full operation of the border point.

It is believed that the upgrading and blacktopping of the road up to Korala border point would contribute a lot to the movement of local people including the trade route of Upper Mustang and tourism.