LUCKNOW: Chief minister Akhilesh Yadav said that development projects in districts adjoining Nepal would be speeded up to benefit people on both sides of the border. "UP has both emotional and social ties with Nepal and these will be further strengthened. Development works in the districts adjoining the neighbouring country would be speeded up to ensure economic progress of people on both the sides," he said while talking to a delegation of Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry which called on him on Friday. Directing officials to remove impediments in construction of Dhudhibari-Gorakhpur road in Maharajganj district and in import of herbal goods from Nepal , the chief minister said his government would do the needful to redress problems raised by the delegation and on those which concern the centre he would soon write a letter.

He said a world class road would be constructed linking all the districts in the state on the border. The chief minister said that to tap tourism potential his government was working towards setting up an international airport in Kushinagar on PPP model. He wanted regular meetings of district level officials of both the countries to solve issues relating to law and order problems. On the recurrent problem of floods in the rivers originating from Nepal, he said a proposal for setting up Bhutan-like power projects would be made in consultation with the Centre.