Nepal Invites Malaysian Firms To Bid For Mega Projects

By Amanina Mohamad Yusof SEREMBAN (Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia), Nov 2 (Bernama) -- Nepal, which endeavours to become a developing country by 2018, has invited Malaysian companies to vie for key projects in the country such as the construction of its second international airport costing US$4.5 billion. Nepalese Ambassador to Malaysia Dr Niranjan Man Singh Basnyat said the country had lined up several mega infrastructure projects, especially in the tourism, health and agriculture industries. "We are inviting Malaysian companies to bid for the second international airport project (SIA) in Nighraj and the 75km fast track road project linking the Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu to SIA," he said, adding that both projects were expected to be completed simultaneously by 2021. Basnyat said currently Indian and Chinese companies were aggressively bidding for both projects. "We hope Malaysian companies can come and bid for these projects because they have good track records. "They can complete projects three months before the deadline with no compromise on quality," he told Bernama after attending the Business Seminar on Global Business Opportunities, here Wednesday. The 75-km Kathmandu-Nijgadh Fast Track Road will cut the travel time between the capital and Terai by at least four hours to eight hours as it takes 12 hours to traverse the distance. Basnyat said in order to become a developing country, Nepal aimed to increase its per capita income to US$1,500 from US$750. The projects will not only benefit 30 million Nepalese upon their completion, but will also be a boon to tourism as Nepal targets two million tourist arrivals by 2020, he added. He said Nepal also welcomed Malaysian small and medium enterprises, especially in the agriculture sector, and looked forward towards the transfer of technology and technical know-how under the Malaysian Technical Cooperation Programme. --BERNAMA