KATHMANDU: Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal dubbed his four-day visit to India an “astounding success”.
He stated further that the agreement will help Nepal draw big-ticket investments in the energy sector. The PM also emphasized the potential for significant investments in the country’s energy sector in light of this agreement.
Dahal underscored the newfound trust and foundation established through the power trade agreement, adding that it will enable the landlocked Himalayan country to meet the demands of the private sector.
But, the main opposition CPN-UML and two other parties, Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) and Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), deemed the visit a failure and prevented the House of Representatives from conducting business for two days in order to demand clarification from Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal on his statement on border disputes and other issues.
In his presentation to the House of Representatives, PM Dahal, hailed the four-day visit to India as a remarkable success.
The delegation led by Dahal signed seven crucial agreements with India as a result of the well-organized team.
Dahal emphasized the foundation and renewed trust created by the electricity trade agreement, noting that it will allow Nepal, a landlocked country, to satisfy private sector expectations.
He continued by saying that Nepal’s access to the sea via Indian ports has been strengthened by the new transit agreement and border problems is also well understood.
The already strong relations between the two countries were strengthened, as Prime Minister Dahal made clear in his report to the House of Representatives on his visit.
He stated that this agreement has further enabled Nepal to export 1,200 MW of electricity to India, generated from the Upper Tamakoshi Hydropower Project.
However, The CPN-UML chairman K.P. Sharma Oli asked for clarification on the power trade and border concerns. In light of this agreement, PM Dahal also highlighted the possibility of large investments in the nation’s energy industry.
A solution to the “boundary matter” was also mentioned by the prime minister of Nepal. “I spoke with Prime Minister Modiji on the boundary issue. I pleaded with Prime Minister Narendra Modi to settle the boundary dispute through the existing bilateral diplomatic process, Dahal stated.
“An agreement has been reached for power trade with Bangladesh via Indian territory. Indian Prime Minister Modi has said India will import 10,000 MW of electricity in the next 10 years. It has created an environment to export power produced from different hydropower projects including Upper Tamakoshi”, he viewed.
The Prime Minister added that the market of electricity produced from hydropower projects has been guaranteed and it has paved the way for further investment in the country’s energy sector, as well as understanding has been made to complete a detailed project report of Pancheshwor Project within three months and to determine implementation model within a year.
He shared that prime ministers of both countries directed the concerned authorities to control floods and inundation in bordering areas.
The discussion was held with the Indian side on issues like the construction of motorable and suspension bridges at Jhulaghat, Purnagiri as well as other places, mentioned PM Dahal.
Citing that significant talks were held between the two sides for agricultural productivity and this remained as another achievement of the visit, the Prime Minister said a positive atmosphere has been built for establishing a chemical fertilizer factory in Nepal.
As he said, matters relating to trade facilitation, the reduction of trade deficit between the two countries, and the removal of additional tax on jute imports were discussed during the meeting. He briefed the House that Indian Prime Minister Modi in a joint press meeting pledged to resolve Nepal-India border disputes.
He went on to say that there was a bilateral agreement during the visit to accelerate the under-construction trans-border railway project and to operate projects which are already completed.
During the visit, Nepal and India observed the inauguration of the Integrated Customs Point in Nepalgunj which was established with economic and technical assistance from the government of India. Furthermore, the groundbreaking of the integrated customs point at Sunali and the agreement to extend the Motihari-Amlekhgunj petroleum pipeline up to Lothar were the outcomes of the visit to the southern neighbor, according to the Prime Minister.
Likewise, the groundbreaking ceremony of the New Butwal Gorakhpur 400-KV transmission line took place during the visit. Additionally, the visit is marked by the signings and exchanges of other seven significant agreements. “The Trade and Transport Treaty incorporates some provisions that hold long-term importance,” he said.
An agreement has been made for transporting block cargo and an environment has been built for using various waterways of India from this, the PM viewed. Stating that a climate for the construction of a dry port at Dodhara Chandani has been made, he said discussions have also been held on promoting industrialization by facilitating the operation of the special economic zone to be constructed in the coming days.
According to the Prime Minister, an understanding has also been reached during the India visit to take forward the construction of the Phukot Karnali Hydro Electricity Project by forming a joint consortium with an Indian company as well as for the construction of the 679- Megawatt Lower Arun Hydro Power Project.
Similarly, he informed that an agreement has been reached between the two countries on an inter-country electronic payment system.
Noting that the Indian industrialists and investors have been urged to invest in Nepal, PM Dahal said the interaction between the Nepali and Indian industrialists and businesspersons was significant in itself. He stated that the progress made by the Indore city in Madhya Pradesh of India in waste management could be learning for Nepal as well.
The two leaders essentially erected integrated checkpoints at Rupaidiha in Nepalgunj and Bahraich district of Uttar Pradesh. A cargo train from Bathnaha in Bihar to the Nepal Custom Yard was also flagged off by them.
The Transit Treaty was signed by the two nations. According to Modi, the agreement also covers the building of interior canals and new railways with Nepal. The two parties also agreed that Indian Railways will train Nepali railway officials.
The two parties also inked six other memoranda of understanding (MoUs) or agreements to cooperate in areas such as cross-border digital payments, hydropower, and the oil and gas industry.
Following a meeting with his Nepali counterpart Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared that India and Nepal would work together to advance their bilateral relations to “Himalayan heights” and settle all disputes, including boundary disputes.
The visit was extremely beneficial for Dahal because seven major agreements were signed between India and Nepal during this time. These agreements include the renewal of the Nepal-India Transit Agreement, the construction of oil pipelines from Amlekhganj to Chitwan and from Siliguri to Charali in Jhapa, the establishment of an integrated checkpoint at Chandni Dodhara, the 669 MW Lower Arun project with an Indian company, the agreement to be made by Fukot Karnali Indian Company, and the agreement between Nepal and India to conduct financial transactions.
Similarly, during the visit, the railway service from Bathnaha to Budhanagar in Biratnagar, India, was also opened jointly by Prime Minister Dahal and his Indian counterpart, Prime Minister Modi.
Construction is in underway on the eight-kilometer railway line that would connect Biratnagar ICP station in India to Bathnaha. The railway underwent testing for train operation on October 8, 2018.
A similar event has occurred with the “New Butwal-Gorakhpur Cross border Transmission Line,” which is essential for the transfer of power between India and Nepal.
Additionally, the transmission line is the second high-capacity international transmission line. Additionally, a distinct business has been established for the project’s construction. Both the Electricity Authority of India and the Nepal Electricity Authority have equal stakes in the business.
The second international transmission line between Butwal and Gorakhpur, a 400 KV project suggested by the NEA for the exchange of energy between Nepal and India, has already been paved.
The government of India’s Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd. and the Electricity Authority both control 50 percent of the stock in the joint venture that was established to build the new Butwal-Gorakhpur 400 KV transmission line. The authority itself will construct the transmission line to Nepal.
Moreover, Dahal stated in the legislature, relations between Nepal and India have resumed being friendly and personal.
