Kaligandaki Corridor Road Project Invites Bids for Chusang-Ghumi Section

Mustang. The Kaligandaki Corridor (Benighat-Jomsom-Korala) road project, under the North-South trade route expansion project, has called for multi-year tenders for the road connecting Korala (Chusang-Ghumi). The project published a notice on Friday calling for tenders for the upgradation and blacktopping of the Chusang-Ghumi road. Project Chief Tejashwi Sharma informed that multi-year tenders have been called in two packages for road upgradation and blacktopping. Tenders have been called for the upgradation and blacktopping of the road from Chusang to Vena (20.1 km) as the first package and from Vena to Ghumi (20.1 km) as the second package. The cost for the road from Chusang to Vena (14 km) is estimated to be over Rs 1 billion, and for the road from Vena to Ghumi (6 km), it is approximately Rs 1 billion. Project Chief Sharma stated that the tender agreement for the project will be signed by November and work will commence immediately after Tihar. Previously, in April, the Ministry of Finance had ensured a budget of Rs 3.15 billion for the Korala road (Chusang-Ghumi) section. The construction of the Korala road under the North-South Kaligandaki Corridor (Benighat-Jomsom-Korala) road project had started in fiscal year 2073/74. Out of the 110 km gravel road, construction had started in seven packages, and the gravel road was completed and handed over to the project in fiscal year 2076/77. Last year, Rs 288.7 million was allocated for the upgradation and blacktopping of the 9.8 km road from Kagbeni to Chusang. The project has indicated that the Kagbeni-Chusang road upgradation and blacktopping project has achieved 25% physical progress. The upgradation of the road from Jomsom to Kagbeni in Mustang is currently under construction under the project. The tender was awarded to (Kalimata-Thapakaji-Rasuwa) JV Construction for Rs 70 million under an annual contract. The work involves constructing road protection, drainage, and culvert walls to make the existing blacktopped road long-lasting. Project Chief Sharma mentioned that while the road from Maldhunga in Parbat to Ghumi in Mustang has ongoing, completed, and tendered blacktopping construction, source consent will be sought in the upcoming fiscal year to approve the IE for the Ghumi-Korala road and blacktop it. The government has given high priority to the Korala border crossing. Infrastructure Minister Sunil Lamsal inspected the Korala road in the second week of June and stated that there would be no shortage of budget for the project. The government fully operationalized the Nepal-China northern Korala border crossing on August 31 of the current year. With the full operation of the border crossing, customs revenue has exceeded approximately Rs 6 billion, leading the government to prioritize the road connecting to the northern Korala border. It is believed that upgrading and blacktopping the road up to the Korala border will significantly contribute to trade in Upper Mustang, tourism, and the movement of local citizens.