India will provide nearly Rs 700 crores to Nepal for road projects in the Terai region,close to its border,to help improve transport infrastructure. This was decided here at the first meeting of the Project Steering Committee for the strengthening of road infrastructure of the Terai area of Nepal committee. The committee agreed that work should be completed in a time bound manner due to the special importance the two countries attach to the project. The meeting was co-chaired by Satish C Mehta,Joint Secretary (North),MEA,and Kamal Raj Pande,Joint Secretary,Nepal's Ministry of Physical Planning & Works,according to an Indian Embassy release here. The meeting which concluded today would be followed by a field visit tomorrow to Kailali district in western Nepal,where two of the proposed projects are located. The field visit aims at studying the project site to work out the modalities for the implementation of the project. The project will be implemented in three phases and envisages to construct over 1,450 kms of black topped all weather roads in the Terai area of Nepal adjoining India. Phase-I,on which work is expected to start by next month,includes 19 roads totaling 605 kms. The project would be funded totally by the Government of India under the Nepal-India Cooperation Programme and will be constructed at an estimated cost of nearly Rs. 687.5 crores. RITES is working as consultant for the project from the Indian side.
