Kathmandu, Aug 12
After a long gap of silence, Nepal and
India are meeting for the progress assessment of the projects funded by India.
The meeting of the Nepal-India Oversight
Mechanism is likely to be held next week, according to Indian media reports.
Formed in 2016 during the visit of then
Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda to India in 2016, the mechanism has
met for seven times so far and set for the eighth one. The meeting plays an
instrumental role in ensuring the timely implementation and completion of
bilateral development projects in Nepal.
Both the countries are making
preparations for the meeting. “There has been discussion regarding the
organisation of the meeting. But the date and modality of the meeting is not
set yet,” said Bharat Raj Paudyal, Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs.
The meeting, however, will not discuss
about the recent row on border and land encroachment.
However, the Indian media has reported
that the meeting would be organised online via video conferencing.
India is supporting Nepal in large
infrastructure in energy, reconstruction, railway and road transportation with
Arun III Hydroelectricity Project, cross-border railway, Postal Highway, post-quake
reconstruction, integrated check posts being the important ones.
Most of the bilateral projects are
meeting with time and cost overrun with the cross-border petroleum pipeline
projects being the only one that completed before the deadline.
The meeting will be led by Foreign
Secretary of Nepal Shankar Das Bairagi and Indian Ambassador to Nepal Binay
Mohan Kwatra.
Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 13 August 2020.
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