KATHMANDU: Nepal’s Cabinet has decided that tree felling approvals for infrastructure projects will no longer require Cabinet endorsement, a move expected to speed up the implementation of major development projects.
At its meeting on Thursday, the Cabinet approved a new provision allowing the concerned ministry to authorize the removal of trees and utility poles located in national forests within protected areas, provided all existing legal and environmental procedures are followed.
Previously, such approvals had to be forwarded to the Cabinet for a final decision, often adding months to the approval process.
The government said that if additional trees or utility poles need to be removed during the implementation of an infrastructure project, the relevant ministry can now grant approval after completing the required legal process.
The decision is expected to reduce administrative delays that have affected several road and infrastructure projects across the country. In recent years, tree felling approvals have been one of the major reasons behind slow progress on national highways, expressways and other strategic transport projects, as contractors were often unable to begin construction until Cabinet clearance was obtained.
Projects such as highway expansion works, new road corridors and expressways have frequently faced schedule overruns due to delays in obtaining permission to remove trees along project alignments.
