By IANS
Kathmandu : India Thursday rapped Nepal for its jitters at reports that the bigger neighbour was building a highway in the border area that could inundate Nepali villages and towns, and stressed the “inflammatory and motivated comments” had “no basis in fact”.
The Indian Embassy in Kathmandu issued a statement, saying the “plethora of media reports in Nepal about a highway allegedly being constructed by India close to and all along the India-Nepal border” were motivated and untrue.
“No such project is being implemented or is even on the drawing board on the Indian side,” the statement said.
The stern rebuttal came after Nepal’s largest selling daily Kantipur reported from New Delhi that India was building an east-west highway.
The report created concern among members of Nepal’s parliamentary committee for natural resources who wanted Nepal to ask India for details and set up a team of MPs to probe the plan.
Subsequently, Nepali Foreign Minister Sahana Pradhan told Kantipur Television, the daily’s sister organisation, that though Nepal had no objection to India building a highway along the Indo-Nepal border, it needed to know details of the construction to be assured that Nepalis living along the border would not be adversely affected.
The Indian Embassy said the Indian ambassador to Nepal, Shiv Shankar Mukherjee, met Pradhan Tuesday to convey that if such a project is considered for implementation, it will be discussed with the government of Nepal.
“Keeping in mind the developmental needs of India and its rapidly growing economy, and the need to enhance connectivity within India as well as with its neighbours, as and when a project such as this is considered for implementation, it will certainly be discussed with the government of Nepal, wherever necessary. A number of agreements and institutionalised mechanisms for discussions exist for such a purpose,” the statement said.
Underscoring India’s displeasure at Nepal’s panic, the embassy said that roads were fundamental for development and as part of its assistance for Nepal’s economic development, India was going to construct more than 1500 km of roads in Nepal, with an outlay exceeding Nepali Rs.12,000 million (about$200 million).
“Perhaps nothing more is needed to underline the motivated nature of these media reports and their originators,” the rejoinder said.