|
|
|
|
|
Nepal: TRANSPORTATION AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS
Overview: Nepal’s transportation system is generally regarded as poor and an obstacle to economic development. The mountainous terrain physically constrains the development of the transportation network, and for decades the government has lacked sufficient funds to maintain, improve, and expand the transportation infrastructure, which has thus relied heavily on foreign funding. The transportation infrastructure is concentrated in the central and eastern parts of the Tarai Region and generally diminishes north and west of the Tarai. Nonmechanized transportation is common in both rural and urban areas, and mechanized local transportation is common only in the Kathmandu Valley and to a lesser degree in Pokhara. The major modes of transportation are air and road, and trails often are used to transport goods. Railroads are minimal and have declined in quality and quantity. The Department of Transport Management oversees transportation issues, and its fiscal year (FY) 2005 budget was approximately US$462,000 based on the official exchange rate for 2004. The FY2006 budget is nearly US$686,000.
Roads: Roads are Nepal’s principal transportation mode. From 1951 to 2005, total road length increased from 376 kilometers to 17,217 kilometers, including 4,781 kilometers paved, 4,703 kilometers gravel-covered, and 7,643 kilometers classified as fair weather roads. The total road length also includes 3,028.7 kilometers of national highways. Roads are concentrated in the central and eastern regions, and the government is under pressure to expand and improve roads. Government allocations for roads have increased, but construction and maintenance costs are high because of the mountainous topography, monsoon rains, and occasional landslides. In March 2005, there were 459,224 registered vehicles, 63.5 percent of which were motorcycles.
Railroads: Nepal’s railroad system is small, outdated, and declining in use and quality. The two rail lines link to railheads in India. Government-owned Nepal Railways Company (NRC) maintains a 53-kilometer narrow-gauge rail line, which is composed of two sections that operate separately. A 32-kilometer section runs between Jaynagar in India to Janakpur in Nepal, and a 21-kilometer portion goes from Janakpur to Bijalpura. The NRC manages a six-kilometer line from Raxaul, India, to Birganj. The Janakpur line is used largely for passengers and the Birganj line, for freight. The Birganj dry port was completed in 2000 but only became operational in 2005 because of the lack of an operating agreement between India and Nepal. From 1990 to 2000, passenger traffic ranged from 725,000 to 1.7 million per year and freight traffic, from 16 to 21 tons. The Janakpur railroad has lost money for years because of low fares, overstaffing, and political intervention, and the government has expressed interest in privatizing the NRC. In 2004 the government signed an agreement with the Container Corporation of India for container service between Birganj and various Indian cities, including Kokatta (Calcutta).
Ports: Nepal is a landlocked country with little waterway transportation and no waterway ports. However, the country has two inland container depots at Birganj and Sirsiya, which primarily service cargo to and from seaports in India. Both ports have experienced extended periods of nonuse because of problems such as customs disputes with India. There also have been proposals to use Janakpur as a dry port.
Inland and Coastal Waterways: Waterway transportation is virtually nonexistent because of the country’s landlocked geographic position, mountainous topography, and deep gorges. The government has expressed interest in using waterways to connect exports with Indian markets, but feasibility studies have not been encouraging.
Civil Aviation and Airports: The government wants to expand civil aviation to overcome geographic constraints on transportation accessibility and to increase tourism. Civil aviation, however, has been slow to develop. In 2005 Nepal had 44 airports of varying standards—up from 43 in 1988—and only one international airport, Tribhuvan, located 5.6 kilometers east of Kathmandu. The number of international tourists arriving by air increased from 205,611 in 1987 to 421,243 in 1998 and then declined to 288,356 by 2004. Nepal has one government-owned airline (Royal Nepal Airlines Corporation), and 39 carriers provide international service. Sixteen carriers provide domestic cargo and passenger service. Air transportation is unavailable in 31 of Nepal’s 75 districts.
Pipelines: Nepal has no pipelines. However, on September 9, 2004, the Nepal Oil Corporation signed a memorandum of understanding with the Indian Oil Corporation to build a 35-kilometer, pipeline from Raxaul (India) to Amalekhganj (Nepal) with an annual capacity of 1.1 million tons for transport of petroleum, diesel, and kerosene.
Telecommunications: Telecommunications generally have been poor in quality and are available mostly in Kathmandu. Nepal Telecommunications Corporation (NTC) had a monopoly on telecommunications services until various pieces of legislation since 1992 opened the NTC to privatization and allowed domestic and foreign companies to provide telecommunications services. The Nepal Telecommunications Authority (NTA) was established in 1998 to regulate and promote competition in the telecommunications sector. By 2005 there were 144 licensed telecommunications providers, and the number of fixed telephone lines increased from 65,000 in 1992 to 448,639. The waiting list for a telephone line is lengthy, only 3.1 of every 100 citizens had access to any type of telephone in 2003, and nearly 50 percent of village development areas did not have a single public phone. In July 2005, Nepal had 248,820 mobile telephone subscribers and approximately 225,000 Internet users. Legislation passed in 2004 was intended to address these matters, but the government suspended many mobile telephone and Internet services on February 1, 2005. From 1975 to 2001, the number of televisions per 1,000 people increased from 0 to 8, radios per 1,000 people increased from 17.5 to 39, and personal computers per 1,000 people increased from 0 to 3.5.
EurofundingMag,The European Commission has allocated €2.8 million to assist victims of drought that has affected many regions especially in western Nepal. ... Opposing class forces face off in post-monarchy Nepal - 24 Oct 2006 Party for Socialism and Liberation...social classes that united in the streets against the monarchy are now facing the basic question: Which class will hold the upper hand in post-monarchy Nepal? ... Nepal - Cautious Optimism or Continued Instability - 24 Oct 2006 Desicritics.org,Nepal's historic return to parliamentary democracy was heralded on 28 June this year raising hopes of rapid normalcy in India's turbulent Northern neighbour ... Nepal: 'The Key Is Stuck In New Delhi' - 24 Oct 2006 NewsBlaze,...to our stalled peace process lies down south was apparent long before Ian Martin, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan special representative for Nepal, decided to ... Govt. to recognize Nepal Sambat as national calendar: PM Koirala - 24 Oct 2006 Nepalnews.com,...has directed the Ministry for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation to set up a committee of experts to further study the historic background of Nepal Sambat to ... Festival Season In Nepal - 24 Oct 2006 Telluride Watch,Tihar lagyo. Tihar is happening! Dasain has come and gone, and the tens of thousands of Nepalis that returned to their villages ... Nepal without the trek - A1 blends Everest and elephants with ... - 24 Oct 2006 e-Travel Blackboard (press release),...$100 per person ‘early bird’ discount on all bookings made before 24 December 2006 for an exclusive, luxury-oriented 10-day ‘Armchair Nepal’ group tour ... Health care against all odds: leprosy in Nepal - 24 Oct 2006 McGill Daily,As my friend and I prepared for three months of volunteer work in Nepal, the last thing we were anticipating was the outbreak of mass civilian protests against ... The Challenges Nepal Faces - 24 Oct 2006 American Chronicle,The democratic political parties and the Nepalese Army (NA) must have the pivotal role to for see a democratic Nepal with Constitutional Monarchy. ... Bomb stored in house by Nepalese rebels blows up, wounding 6 - 24 Oct 2006 International Herald Tribune,AP. POKHARA, Nepal A bomb being stored in a house by Nepalese communist rebels exploded on Tuesday, wounding six people, officials and doctors said. ... Happy New Year again, Nepal - 24 Oct 2006 NewsBlaze,It's New Year's Day again in Nepal, this time by the Nepal Sambat calendar, one of four commonly used in this tiny country. It's ... Maoists on ‘crime control’ drive - 24 Oct 2006 Indian Express,According to human right groups a Rajbanshi tribal was allegedly killed as a result of excessive torture by the Maoists in east Nepal’s Jhapa district. ... Tribal Terrorists Mourn their Dead - 24 Oct 2006 Strategy PageOctober 22, 2006: Indian police arrested a soldier on his way to Nepal, to hand over military secrets (on a memory sticks, and photos) to Pakistani intelligence ... Caste-Based Discrimination in Nepal - Oct 22, 2006 OhmyNews International,Nepal has survived a decade of internal, armed conflict, which has thrown human rights violations into relief. The root cause of ... UN makes Nepal Maoist food pledge - Oct 23, 2006 BBC News,The UN World Food Programme (WFP) has proposed to feed Nepal's Maoist rebels and their families once a peace deal has been signed with the government. ... Nepal Era New year today - Oct 22, 2006 Nepalnews.com,The Nepal Sambat (Nepal Era), which was started by Shankhadhar Shakhwaa entered its 1127th year Monday with the Newar community from all over the country eager ... Nepal still in a state of flux - Oct 23, 2006 Asia Times Online,...and reconcile positions on issues between an alliance of seven parties with democratic credentials and the leaders of the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) are ... 'Nepal Era' to be adopted as national calendar: Koirala - Oct 23, 2006 Zee News,Kathmandu, Oct 23: The Nepal government would take initiatives to adopt 'Nepal Era' as the national calendar replacing 'Bikram Era' used from the period of ... Nepal: Cease-Fire Violations Increase - Oct 23, 2006 StratforCease-fire violations by Maoist rebels in Nepal have increased by 75 percent in recent weeks, the National Monitoring Committee said Oct. 23. ... Nepal to allow private sectors to enter petroleum dealings - Oct 21, 2006 People's Daily Online,Ending Nepal Oil Corporation's ( NOC) monopoly over petroleum dealings, the government has passed a bill that will now allow private sectors to enter the ... Festival of Lights in Nepal - Oct 21, 2006 OhmyNews International,Nepal is currently celebrating one of the most significant Hindu festivals, Tihar, also called "the festival of light.". The festival ... Preparations planned to mark Nepal Era 1127 - Oct 21, 2006 People's Daily Online,Over 50 programs will be organized, mainly in Nepali capital Kathmandu Valley, to mark the Nepal Era 1127, which falls on Monday, a leading newspaper The ... Nepal striving to make air transportation safe - Oct 21, 2006 People's Daily Online,The Nepal Air Traffic Controller 's Association has been striving to make air transportation safe, regular and reliable in Nepal since its establishment in 1991 ... Australia, UNDP sign accord to promote micro-enterprises in Nepal - Oct 20, 2006 People's Daily Online,With a view to improve the living standard of poor people in Nepal, United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and Australia have signed an agreement here on ... UN to start work of assisting Nepal's peace process ... - Oct 20, 2006 People's Daily Online,Speaking at the 61st United Nations Day in Kathmandu on Friday, Martin said that they will formally start their work of assisting Nepal's peace process once ... Human error, fog to blame for Nepal WWF crash - Oct 20, 2006 ABC Online,...was carrying several members of the WWF, including conservation director, Australian Jill Bowling, and some of the most respected conservationists in Nepal. ... UN regional disarmament office to be set up in Nepal - Oct 21, 2006 Nepalnews.com,An Asia Pacific regional UN office for peace and disarmament is going to be set up in Nepal two decades after it was formally approved by the General Assembly. ... Human error, fog to blame for Nepal WWF crash - Oct 20, 2006 Reuters AlertNet,KATHMANDU, Oct 21 (Reuters) - Human error and bad weather were responsible for last month's crash of a helicopter chartered by world conservation group WWF in ... This series of profiles of foreign nations is part of the Country Studies Program, formerly the Army Area Handbook Program. The profiles offer brief, summarized information on a country’s historical background, geography, society, economy, transportation and telecommunications, government and politics, and national security. In addition to being featured in the front matter of published Country Studies, they are now being prepared as stand-alone reference aides for all countries in the series, as well as for a number of additional countries of interest. The profiles offer reasonably current country information independent of the existence of a recently published Country Study and will be updated annually or more frequently as events warrant. |
| what's new | rainforests home | help support the site | madagascar | search | about | contact |
Copyright Rhett Butler 1994-2006 |
