By APD writer Ishwar Khanal

KATHMANDU, Nov. 20 (APD) -- Nepali and Chinese officials are meeting in Kathmandu next month to discuss the prospects of developing the Kathmandu-Kerung railway line connecting the two countries.

Nepal and China are expected to reach an understanding on developing the detailed project report (DPR) of the railway line. It should be noted that officials of both countries had in the last week of August agreed on technical details of the railway link.

Officials at Nepal's Department of Railways say both sides are busy preparing the agenda for next month's meeting.

The Kathmandu Post has quoted Balaram Mishra, Director General at the Department of Railways, Nepal, as saying that a study conducted by Chinese officials concluded earlier that the project is viable, and that they are making arrangements for the meet. Mishra said that Nepal's Foreign Ministry is coordinating with the Chinese side.

The two sides had earlier agreed to review the project development scenario within 2018 while signing the bilateral agreement to study the feasibility of developing the railway line from Kathmandu to Kerung, a city on the Nepal-China border.

According to the report on the TKP, officials at the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport said the Nepali side will seek clarity on the financial modality of the project. Reports said that the Chinese side conducted the pre-feasibility study on its own.

However, both sides haven’t come out in public to discuss financial modalities so far. Meanwhile, the Chinese side has hinted at the possibility of constructing the project with concessional loans, which will give Nepal the project's ownership.

The railway, according to officials at the Department of Railways, would be 72.25 km in Nepal.

(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)