Butwal, January 28
In a recent incident of the Nepal-India border crisis, Nepalis in Susta of the Nawalparasi West district have accused Indian authorities of constructing a road on the borderland in such a way that it would inundate Nepal in the monsoon.
Indian authorities are constructing a 27-km road on the southern side of four rural municipalities–Susta, Pratapur, Sarawal and Palhinandan–of the district. The road is within 25 metres of the borderline.
Locals claim the road would inundate Nepal as it is above the surface, which means it would block the water from passing southwards when it rains.
Ram Prasad Pandey, the chief of the Susta rural municipality, says the locals have submitted a memorandum to the prime minister via the chief district officer to look into the issue.
Chief District Officer Dharmendra Kumar Mishra says he is aware of the construction work, saying the federal government should try to solve this issue in consultation with the Indian counterpart.
“This issue is not limited to one district,” he says, “The government should try to solve this via diplomatic mediums.”
Mishra says he has also informed the federal Ministry of Home Affairs about the issue.
Susta has remained one of the disputed areas between Nepal and India. Gopal Gurung, a local activist, says India has encroached on around 14,000 hectares of land.
