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Nepal Fast-Tracks Border Road Building to Cut Dependence on India, Improve China Access

Nepal Fast-Tracks Border Road Building to Cut Dependence on India, Improve China Access
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File photo of Indian border forces standing guard along a border with Nepal. (Reuters)

  • NEWS18.COM
  • LAST UPDATED: JUNE 27, 2020, 1:45 PM IST

Nepal government has roped in its Army to expedite the construction of the 87-kilometre section of road under the Mahakali corridor or the Darchula-Tinkar Road Project, near Ghantibagar of Darchula district. The area is near the India-Nepal border adjoining Pithoragarh district.

The government last month decided to entrust the Nepal Army with the construction project, Economic Times reported. The road will also ensure better access to China border which lies beyond Tinkar. The prime focus of speedy construction of this road is to reduce the dependence of Nepalese citizens on Indian roads.

However, the construction of this road will also allow citizens to reach their villages without crossing Indian borders while easing patrolling for the Nepal Army.

"The ministers during a meeting on April 26 had decided to deploy a section plus force of the Nepal Army with the required equipment to build the 87 kilometres section of the road. A mule track which falls under the road section will have a width of 2 meters and 450 meters length," the Nepal Army said in a statement.

"Once the army will open the 450-meter road section in between the MauriBer and Ghanti area, around 1,200 residents of 182 households there do not have to travel via the Indian route to come to their own village within Nepal's territory," the statement read further.

The escalation of road construction comes as a ramification of souring relations between India and Nepal. Following the Nepal parliament’s move of showing districts of Uttarakhand as a part of its territory in the country’s newly-designed map, a palpable tension has developed between both the countries, with people living on borders facing vulnerability.


Go nepal

Nepal is nothing without India...there are millions of Nepalese working in India and sending remittances....KP Oli is intent on committing hara kiri


Really ?

You did know unlike you they fought off the British ?

The question is what are you ?
 
Nepal army constructs 550-metre bridle path at ghantibagar in dharchula, nepal
prem punetha | tnn | oct 7, 2020, 04:44 ist

pithoragarh: the nepal army has constructed a 550-metre patch on dharchula-chhangru bridle path. two remote villages of nepal – tinkar (near tibet border) and chhangru (near indian border) – are now connected to each other and with dharchula headquarters. two years ago, the road connecting these villages had been washed away and the villagers were using a path that passes through dharchula and sitapul (in uttarakhand) to commute. the nepal army completed the road in just four months.

people residing in tinkar and chhangru villages move to lower valleys from november to april and migrate to the upper reaches from may to october. chhangru has 90 families living there and tinkar 60, who are dependent on this path.

a bridle path of 85 km connected it to nearby areas, but two years ago, the roads were washed away during a landslide at ghantibagar, 60 km from dharchula. all human and animal movement on this stretch was completely stopped and the villagers had to use an indian route to reach their villages. the entry points between india and nepal were closed on march 23 this year due to the covid-induced lockdown, leaving the villagers virtually stranded.

the tensions between the two countries related to boundary issues came to the fore in may after the nepal government released a new map of nepal, incorporating indian territories of kalapani, lipulekh and limpiyadhura. in may, the nepal authorities requested the pithoragarh district administration to allow these villagers to use indian roads and they were granted the permission, sources said. but this was an awkward situation for nepal.

four months ago, the nepal government gave the task of constructing the road to its army due to tough topography of the region (construction along the kali river was dangerous). their army completed this 550-metre-long and 2-metre-wide path within four months. the cost of the project was rs 1.08 crore, sources said. sixty army personnel and 45 labourers were deployed to complete the task. one soldier even lost his life.

nepal army has opened border outposts at chhangru and tinkar, but due to lack of road and bridle path, army personnel, ration and equipment were transported by air. now after construction of this 550-metre patch, the army and villagers are using this route. nepal has been trying to strengthen its road network as well as air connectivity in the border areas following tensions with india.
 
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