Infrastructure

The Kathmandu-Tarai/Madhes Expressway (Fast Track) project has achieved approximately 48 percent physical progress, according to the Nepali Army, which manages its construction. Despite progress in tunnel and bridge construction, a dispute over the 6.5-kilometer Khokana section is hindering the project's swift completion, with significant work still pending.

Reconstruction has officially commenced on a severely damaged 3.2-kilometer section of Nepal's BP Highway, linking Kavrepalanchok and Sindhuli districts, with financial and technical assistance from Japan. Japanese Ambassador Maeda Toru and Nepal's Infrastructure Ministry Secretary Gopal Prasad Sigdel jointly laid the foundation stone for the Piple–Barkhekhola stretch, which was devastated by floods and landslides in October 2024.

Construction on the Siddhababa Tunnel along the Siddhartha Highway has reached 68% physical progress, with operations for vehicles anticipated by September. The project, a National Pride Project, aims to significantly reduce landslide and rockfall risks in the historically dangerous Siddhababa section. The tunnel is being built under an Engineering Procurement and Construction (EPC) model, with the contractor responsible for design, construction, and subsequent operation and maintenance.

Pokhara Metropolitan City Mayor Dhanraj Acharya has proposed a plan to revitalize the Phirke River, drawing inspiration from South Korea's successful Cheonggyecheon River restoration project. The initiative, in partnership with the Asian Development Bank, aims to transform the 8-kilometer Phirke River into an organized public space with footpaths and bicycle lanes, similar to the urban renewal project in Seoul.

Pokhara Metropolitan City has begun removing encroachments along the Phirke Khola, a stream flowing through the city, with the goal of beautifying its banks and launching the Phirke Corridor Project. This initiative, supported by the federal government, aims to transform Pokhara into a "green, clean, modern, and world-class river-corridor city," according to City Mayor Dhan Raj Acharya. The operation concluded peacefully on its first day, though some residents expressed concerns about the proposed right-of-way criteria.

Pokhara Metropolitan City has begun demolishing structures built on encroached land along the Phirke River, following a 35-day notice period that ended on Saturday. Mayor Dhanraj Acharya stated that the campaign aims to clear all structures within the riverbank according to a measurement report from Ashadh 2080 BS. The demolition efforts are underway at multiple points along the river, involving bulldozers and city representatives.