August 2: In order to exploit economic potential of Province 2, stakeholders have emphasized on effective connectivity with the bordering Indian states. As the border of all the eight districts of Province 2 is connected with India, the concerned parties have said that the movement and transit should be made easy to tap in the potential.

Minister of Drinking Water and Energy of Province 2, Om Prakash Sharma says that the connectivity of the region should be strengthened as Birgunj is not only the main trade gateway but also a source of production and supply.

“The easier the movement from the Birgunj area, the easier it is to exploit the potential,” he said.

Speaking at a program organized on Saturday in Birgunj, Minister Sharma said connectivity to India along with the main urban areas of Nepal is also important.

As the Bara-Parsa area is the main industrial center, the private sector is of the view that the supply of raw materials and transportation of products should be facilitated. Sharma also mentioned that the state government has given priority to road and air transport.

Sharma reasoned that the federal government should facilitate inter-state communication as much as possible by understanding the economic potential and importance of Province 2. Sharma, who is also the former president of the Birgunj Chamber of Commerce and Industry, had been emphasizing on transportation since a long time.

"As transport is the basis of development, there is no alternative to making road and air services effective. Wherever transport reaches, development also reaches simultaneously,” said Sharma, who recently became the Minister of Drinking Water and Energy of Province 2.

The Birgunj Chamber of Commerce and Industry has also taken initiative to use the infrastructure of Nepal-India in the border areas. According to Subodh Kumar Gupta, president of the chamber, Indian Railways officials have been called to Birgunj to take initiative for operating a direct train service from Raxaul to major Indian cities.

Sharma believes that the federal government should take immediate initiative to conduct at least one flight from Simara in Bara to Patna in Bihar, as Province 2 is connected to the Indian state of Bihar. “It is yet to be decided when the second international airport under construction at Nijgadh in Bara will be completed. For now, the Simara-Patna flight could be very convenient,” he said.

Participants of the program expressed concern over the traffic that gets disrupted due to hours of traffic jam at the railway crossing on Raxaul main road in India. Most of the traders have complained that the means of transportation carrying industrial raw materials and finished goods are jammed for a long interval of time.

Construction of an overhead bridge for two-wheelers has been started at Raxaul Railway this year.