Chitwan, Aug 30: Construction of the Metropolitan Ring Road has reached the final stage of completion. The Bharatpur Metropolitan City-sponsored project is being constructed at an investment of over Rs 1.50 billion.  

The project is being constructed with the co-funding of the federal and the provincial government. 

The 88.6 kilometres long Metropolitan Ring Road covers most of the parts of the metropolis and passes along the Rapti and Narayani rivers, and the fringe of the buffer zone and community forest.

Metropolis mayor Renu Dahal said the Ring Road has been constructed by dividing it into several sections with the involvement of the Bharatpur Metropolitan City, the federal government’s Division Road Office, the Urban and Building Construction Project and the Province Infrastructure Office under the provincial government. 

Mayor Dahal said 90 per cent of the construction works of the project has been completed and a call for tender has been issued for the remaining works. Although the Ring Road is slightly narrow in the buffer zone and forest area of the Chitwan National Park due to the problem related to cutting down trees, it is seven metres wide in the rest of the areas and has been asphalted.

The Ring Road connects with the East-West highway, the Narayangadh-Muglin road, the By-pass Road and the Prachanda Marg road at various locations.

Mayor Dahal said, “We can take it as a model project of federalism.” She says that this is the longest ring road in the country. Dahal said that since it was not possible to work with only one agency, the work was done in collaboration with everyone.  

According to Mayor Dahal, it will help in tourism promotion and increasing economic activities, thereby contributing to raising the living standard of the locals. Sakar Lama, the engineer of the metropolitan city, said that bids have been called for the remaining 4.1 kilometers for blacktopping works. The bid has been called for by the federal government at a cost of Rs 100 million.

After the completion of this work, the entire part of the ring road will be black topped. 

Lama said, “The ring road has been useful in connecting the rural areas with the main town of Bharatpur.” He said that since the ring road has been built connecting areas where the big hotels are operating in West Chitwan, it will also have a positive impact on the tourism sector. (RSS)