With the Chinese stepping up participation in infrastructure projects in Nepal,India has launched a Rs-1,700 crore road-and-rail infrastructure initiative in the Madhes (terai) region of the Himalayan country. This comes ahead of Nepal President Ram Baran Yadavs visit to India this month. Tenders to the tune of Rs 800 crore for upgradation of 660 km of all-weather roads in Nepals underdeveloped terai region were floated by project consultants RITES on February 5. Last involved in building the countrys East-West highway in 1997,New Delhi has moved swiftly 660 km of roads will be upgraded in Phase I of the project out of a total 1,400 km of highway roads envisaged in Nepal. Simultaneously,tenders for an integrated check post at Birgunj have been floated. Processes for building of railroads in Madhes will follow. The grant-in-aid of Rs 1,700 crore for infrastructure in Nepal was cleared by the Cabinet Committee on Security the then Foreign Secretary and new National Security Advisor Shivshankar Menon was the driving force. Sources told The Indian Express that President Yadav,who used to be the Nepali Congress representative from Madhes,arrives in New Delhi on a four-day visit starting on February 15. He will be meeting the Indian leadership including Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi. To improve cross-border connectivity,India will also invite tenders for construction of broad gauge railroad links from Jogbani (Bihar) to Biratnagar (Nepal) and Jaynagar (Bihar) to Bijalpura-Janakpur (Nepal). Biratnagar is the second largest city in Nepal after capital Kathmandu. Once the links are completed,it would be possible to travel from the Nepal terai to any part of India via rail.
