India-Nepal Relations

Railway service could be operated through Nepal-India understanding​

KATHMANDU: All preparations have been put in place for the operation of the Janakpur-Jayanagar Railway Service.


Nepal Railway Company Limited has said the railway service is set for operation after an understanding between the governments of Nepal and India as all preparations including infrastructure and human resources have been readied for that purpose.


The company’s general manager Guru Bhattarai said preparations had been made for the operation of the railways immediately but were postponed for some days due to the change of government.


According to him, a program was set in which the Indian government would hand over the project to Nepal today or tomorrow itself. Exchange of documents remains to be done after the ministry-level consultations at this point in time.


“The inauguration takes place after the handover of the infrastructures (of the railway),” General Manager Bhattarai said, adding that the Government of India would transfer all structures constructed for the operation of the railway service to the Government of Nepal.


Equipment and facilities as the railway track, station, buildings, residential building, and computers built and installed through the economic and technical assistance of the Government of India would be formally handed over to the Nepal Railways.


He added that more documents needed to be exchanged between the two countries for the operation of the railway service. The paper related to the understanding reached with India’s government company also remains to be exchanged.


“There was a program to exchange the papers on these three topics. This has been delayed by some days due to the change of government,” he added.


The Company has also trained the required human resources for the operation of the railway. All the human resources have been readied for this purpose. Three Indian technicians had imparted the training. Five or six Indian technicians are being brought within few days.


The individuals coming now will be providing information on the structure of the railway and its operation. They will also be briefing about the individual roles and responsibilities.


The required test for railway operation has been carried out. The trial track test has been done, General Manager Bhattarai said.


“Whether the track and signal are working or not has been checked. The track has to be tested by running a vehicle on the track. The alignment of the railway track was checked during the test. It has been certified that the railway track is okay for operation,” he added.


The government has held talks with the Government of India from time to time for the operation of the railway for a year.


The Company said the Indian side has been pressing for the operation of the railway service in Nepal at the earliest.


He said it would not be a problem to travel to India in spite of the risk of the COVID-19 pandemic at present. As he said, the railway can also be operated through mutual talks as the other vehicles were operating to and from Jayanagar of India.


The governments of both countries need to take a decision in this connection. Discussions are being held for operating the rail service on the Jayanagar-Janakpur route for the time being.


President Bidya Devi Bhandari had approved the Railway Ordinance a few months ago. It has already been tabled in the Parliament as per the provision that the ordinance should be tabled in the parliament within 60 days.


The Railway Ordinance had been tabled in the parliament before the dissolution of the House of Representatives. The government had brought the same bill as the ordinance. General Manager Bhattarai said that it would be forwarded as it is again in the Parliament table.


The company has prepared all types of human resources required for its operation of railway service. Some human resources have been brought from India in the contract as there are no experienced human resources in Nepal for the operation of railway service, he shared.


Some human resources from India were required for the time being arrive here immediately while the rest of the crew members would arrive here soon after the determination of the date for its operation.


There would be 200 Nepalis and 26 Indian employees in the Company. An agreement was made to forward five railways with the financial and technical support of the Indian government. Of them, the Jaynagar-Kurtha railway was constructed first.


Similarly, the construction of a railway from Kurtha-Bardibas has been forwarded. The government of Nepal had purchased a rail set with an Indian government company in the last fiscal year for the operation of railway service along the Jaynagar-Kurtha section.
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Railway service could be operated through Nepal-India understanding

KATHMANDU: All preparations have been put in place for the operation of the Janakpur-Jayanagar Railway Service. Nepal Railway Company Limited has said the railway service is set for operation after an understanding between the governments of Nepal and India as all preparations including...
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Indo-Nepal rail connectivity: Indian Railways completes trial of 110kmph between Jayanagar-Kurtha; watch video
Indo-Nepal Rail Connectivity: In the first phase of Indian Railways’ Jayanagar-Bardiwas rail project, recently a speed trial was completed successfully at a speed of 110 km per hour on the 35 kilometre long newly-gauge converted section between Jayanagar and Kurtha in the neighbouring country, Nepal. The 68.72 kilometre long Jaynagar-Bijalpura-Bardibas railway project has been funded by the Indian Government entirely. According to the Railway Ministry, train operations on the Jayanagar-Kurtha section will facilitate movement between the two nations, as well as boost trade and develop the surrounding regions. Here, watch the video of speed trial, shared by the Railway Ministry:

The section from Jayanagar to Kurtha is 34.90 kilometres long and is a part of the Jaynagar-Bijalpura-Bardibas railway project of Indian Railways. Earlier this year, the Railway Ministry had said that the rail line from Jayanagar in the district of Madhubani, Bihar has been linked to Kurtha in Nepal under the first phase of this project. The line was said to be extended up to Bijalpura by March 2021. An amount of around Rs 550 Crores has been spent by the Government of India for the section up to Bijalpura which is further 17 kilometres from Kurtha. The new railway line, after Bijalpura, will be developed till Bardibas once the land is handed over by the Nepal Government for the project, the ministry had said.

Jayanagar is located at a distance of 4 Kilometres from the India-Nepal border. This railway route has Janakpur, which is a world-famous pilgrim centre in Nepal, situated at a distance of 29 Kilometres from Jayanager. IRCON had undertaken the project and it was reported that all rail engineering and infrastructure works were already complete. To run trains on this railway route, KRCL had supplied two sets of 1600 HP DEMU passenger rakes. These two DEMU rakes, which were handed over to Nepal on 18 September, 2020, had two air-conditioned coaches each apart from non-AC coaches. In Nepal, this is said to be the first Broad Gauge passenger rail service. Prior to this, a narrow gauge service was running by Nepal between Jayanagar and Janakpur till the year 2014.
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Indo-Nepal rail connectivity: Indian Railways completes trial of 110kmph between Jayanagar-Kurtha; watch video

The 68.72 kilometre long Jaynagar-Bijalpura-Bardibas railway project has been funded by the Indian Government entirely.
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IANS

#Nepal and #India on Monday reviewed the progress made in various India-funded projects in the Himalayan nation. ...
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Hapag-Lloyd introduces India-Nepal inland service

hapaglloydindianepal

German container carrier Hapag-Lloyd will deploy a new Nepal-India inland freight service.
A new link running from the Inland Container Depot (ICD) Birgunj, Nepal, to Indian ports Kolkata and Visakhapatnam aims to offer greater flexibility and reliability for regional shippers.

Sudhir Sudhakaran, Inland Steering Manager Area India, commented that by expanding its presence in the hinterland bordering eastern India, the firm is able to capitalise on the booming import-heavy niche market.

The rail connection is a regular service, offering greater reliability for planning than previous road arrangements.

Customers additionally will be able to receive a Through B/L and can directly take delivery of cargo in Nepal.

“The partner we have chosen in Nepal is the ICD operator and now runs a private railroad, which ensures us access to infrastructure and strengthens our ability to deliver quality to our customers,” the company added.

Customers can book their cargo up to ICD Birgunj with the choice of Kolkata and Visakhapatnam as gateway ports.

ICD Birgunj is spread over 100 acres of land. ICD Birgunj is the only dry port in Nepal connected by rail to gateway ports and has six rail sidings. Rail connections are available from Visakhapatnam and Kolkata ports to ICD Birgunj, transport is on carrier haulage basis.
www.porttechnology.org

Hapag-Lloyd introduces India-Nepal inland service

German container carrier Hapag-Lloyd will deploy a new Nepal-India inland freight service. A new link running from the Inland Container Depot (ICD)
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Nepal seeks permit to conduct census in villages near border​

Authorities in Nepal have sought permission from Indian officials to send a team to conduct a population census in Chhangru and Tinkar villages near the Indo-Nepal border, the route to which goes through Pithoragarh district in Uttarakhand, officials familiar with the matter said.

The development came during a meeting between the officials of Pithoragarh district and Nepal’s Darchula district across the international border on Saturday evening. The meeting was held a day after former Nepal Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli said that “if voted to power, his party’s government will take back the areas of Lipulekh, Limpiyadhura and Kalapani in Pithoragarh district through dialogue with India.”

Ashish Chauhan, the district magistrate of Pithoragarhm, who was among officials from the Indian side, said, “The Nepalese side had sought the permission during the meeting as the route to the two villages in their area goes through India. They have sought permission before also to conduct the population census amid their ongoing national census. We informed them that the communication has been done with the top-level on same, and as soon as they give their nod for it, we will intimate them accordingly.”

Informing about the officials who were in attendance during the meeting, Chauhan said, “Apart from me, the chief development officer of Pithoragarh Anuradha Pal, additional district magistrate PR Chauhan, sub-divisional magistrate of Dharchula, divisional forest officer and executive engineer of the irrigation Dharchula division were present from the Indian side. While from Nepal’s Darchula district, chief district officer Siddhraj Joshi, deputy inspector general, Nepal Armed Police Narendra Bam, 10 other officials attended meeting.”

Chauhan further said that “Both sides also agreed to work in utmost coordination in case of a flood-like situation in Kali river, which separates Pithoragarh and Darchula at border.”

Nepal raked up the border issue in Pithoragarh district earlier this month by claiming three villages in the Kalapani area were in its territory, again raising an issue that reared its head last year when Kathmandu published a new map showing India’s Lipulekh, Kalapani, and Limipiyadhura as part of its territory.

Nebin Lal Shresth, director-general of Central Bureau of Statistics of Nepal responsible for the census, said while speaking to a leading Nepalese daily on November 10: “The three villages are under Nepal’s territory but has a presence of Indian armed forces. Hence, there has to be an appropriate solution at government level so that our team can go there for the population census.”
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Nepal seeks permit to conduct census in villages near border

The development came during a meeting between the officials of Pithoragarh district and Nepal’s Darchula district across the international border on Saturday evening.
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Deuba visit ideal to resume India, Nepal talks: Former envoy to India​

The upcoming visit of Nepal’s Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba to the Vibrant Gujarat Summit will provide an opportunity for Kathmandu and New Delhi to turn the page over the controversy -ridden phase of the Kalapani dispute and start addressing the substantial issues, a veteran Nepalese diplomat has said. Former ambassador of Nepal to India Deep Kumar Upadhyay remarked that India should begin the much required Foreign Secretary-level dialogue to resolve the lingering bilateral irritants.

“From the non-delivery of COVID-19 vaccines, to the territorial problems and ensuring access of Nepalese farmers to urea, there are several issues that need to be addressed during the visit of Prime Minister Deuba to India,” said Mr. Upadhyay. speaking over the telephone from Kathmandu.

He said the visit, though aimed at the business summit in Gujarat, is symbolically significant as it is the first time that a PM from Kathmandu will visit following the bitter spat over the Kalapani border row that lasted over two years. Mr Upadhyay who served as Nepal’s envoy to India during the 2015-’16 blockade said, Mr Deuba has defeated challengers within his party and is in a position to hold dialogue with India on all issues that are of bilateral importance.

“Sher Bahadur Deuba became PM in the last year of the Oli government when the Supreme Court appointed him for the reminder of the term and he will be in power for the coming year and therefore, it will be good if India starts serious negotiations with Mr. Deuba on issues that have eroded New Delhi's popularity in Nepal in recent past,” Mr Upadhyay said.

One of the factors, that have hurt India’s popularity during the pandemic, according to the envoy, is the non-delivery of vaccines for COVID-19. Nepal was among the first recipients of vaccine from India in January 2021 but the delivery of vaccines was disrupted after the second wave of the pandemic hit India during March-May. The health crisis in India impacted the supply of Covishield vaccines to Nepal and the delivery could not be completed..

“People here took the non-availability especially for the vulnerable groups seriously as Nepal had already made the payment. These are sensitive matters that require political articulation and this is the best time to address such irritants,” Mr Upadhyay said as discussion is currently underway to facilitate the visit of Mr Deuba. It has been learnt that the Nepalese leader may address the business meeting online in case the pandemic scenario intensifies.
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Deuba visit ideal to resume India, Nepal talks: Former envoy to India

Nepalese Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba will be visiting India for Vibrant Gujarat Summit.
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Cabinet approves MoU between India, Nepal for bridge construction over Mahakali river​

The Union Cabinet on Thursday approved phase 2 of the green energy corridor under an intra-state transmission system to facilitate grid integration and power evacuation of approximately 20 gigawatts of renewable energy projects in 7 states. The scheme is expected to help achieve the target of 450 GW installed renewable energy capacity by 2030 and contribute to the long term energy security of the country.

“This scheme will add approximately 10,750 circuit kilometres of transmission lines and approx. 27,500 Mega Volt-Amperes transformation capacity of substations,” Union minister Anurag Thakur told a media briefing.

With central financial assistance at 33% of project cost, the total estimated cost of phase 2 of the project is ₹12,031 crore. Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Rajashthan, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh will be covered under this phase.

Thakur also informed about the approval of a memorandum of understanding which will be signed between India and Nepal to construct a bridge over River Mahakali. The minister stressed that the bridge will help the people living in Uttarakhand’s Dharchula and in the area under Nepal territory.

The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) also met Thursday where the issue of a security lapse during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Punjab was taken up, according to people familiar with the development.

When asked to comment on the incident, Thakur said there was a big lapse in the security of the prime minister, adding that some people have gone to the Supreme Court, the ministry of home affairs has also sought a report.

“Everyone has seen the big security breach. I will just say that some people have gone to Supreme Court, the home ministry is also inquiring and will take big, tough decisions. All the steps that need to be taken will be taken,” the minister said.
www.hindustantimes.com

Cabinet approves MoU between India, Nepal for bridge construction over Mahakali river

Union minister Anurag Thakur said the bridge will help the people living in Uttarakhand’s Dharchula and in the area under Nepal territory.
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