China-funded dry port project brings cheers to Nepalis

Kul Bahadur Roka, 38, has a reason to be happy nowadays. After 16 years of trying to eke out a living from low paying job as porter, Roka, a resident of flood- struck Larcha village of Nepal, felt reenergized after being hired by a construction company that is building the China-funded Inland Container Depot or dry port in his village.

In 1996, Roka, already a husband and father of a three-month old girl, had to witness his house swept away by the Bhotekoshi flood. He has been living a poor life since then.

Roka, an illiterate like other marginalized Nepalis, struggled for 10 years to build a two-room clay hut that he calls home.

Now, he and his family of three are ecstatic with hope of a better life as he expects a better paycheck from the company that hired him.

It is not just Roka, many other villagers are also benefiting from the China-funded Larcha dry port construction.

The much-anticipated project, which is expected to further enhance Nepal-China bilateral trade, was formally launched on Dec. 20 by Chinese Ambassador to Nepal Yang Houlan and Secretary of Nepal's Ministry of Commerce and Supplies Lalmani Joshi.

The launching of the project has already provided more than a hundred job opportunities for villagers of Larcha, an impoverished village in the Himalayan Republic.

"Maybe I will now be able to renovate my house and lift my family from poverty," said Roka. He hopes to save his earnings so that his wife could open a small tea shop in the village.

"More than a hundred villagers from around the region have been employed for the construction of the project," said Sarad Bikram Rana, director of Nepal Intermodal Transport Development Committee, which handles the recruitment of construction workers.

Along with job opportunities, the China-funded project has also attracted entrepreneurs from both sides who have been engaged in cross-border businesses. During the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding in May this year, the Chinese government had also agreed to upgrade the 6.5 km road section of the Arniko Highway that connects its border with China to the soon-to-be constructed dry port.

Due to the traffic congestion in the existing narrow road, container trucks have been facing difficulties in ferrying their cargoes to their destinations, resulting in slow trade.

"Sometimes it takes a whole day for a container truck just to enter Khasa (Zhaangmu--bordering Chinese town) from Tatopani Customs," said Shyam Rasaili, a Nepali wholesaler for electronic goods, who claims to have a six-year experience in dealing with Chinese merchants.

Zhaangmu is the main trading town on the Chinese side bordering Nepali town of Tatopani.

"Once the road is expanded, traffic congestion would ease up, resulting in faster business," Rasaili added with excitement.

Moreover, lack of parking space around the region has been also considered as one of the bottlenecks for smoother trade between China and Nepal. To address the problem, the newly launched Larcha dry port would include a sprawling parking lot that can accommodate 150 big container vans.

China, a generous donor neighbor of Nepal, has been providing grants and assistances to Nepal since the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries 57 years ago.

The International Convention Center in the heart of Kathmandu, which is now serving Nepal's parliament; the Arniko Highway connecting Kathmandu to Friendship Bridge on the Nepal-China border; Nepal's National Television Station; Ring Road, Kathmandu' s primary roadway; and the Civil Service Hospital are among the gifts given by China to Nepal.

The soon-to-be constructed dry port is another milestone in the enduring Nepal-China relationship that benefits both countries.