National
Indian nationals obstruct Thute stream bridge
The Thute stream bridge in Thori Rural Municipality of Parsa has not come into operation due to the obstruction of Indian nationals in the construction of its approach road.Shankar Acharya
The Thute stream bridge in Thori Rural Municipality of Parsa has not come into operation due to the obstruction of Indian nationals in the construction of its approach road.
Construction of the bridge that lies at the border of Thori-2 and 3 along the Birgunj-Thori Postal Highway completed three months ago after the Nepal-India Border Survey Team resettled the border dispute.
“Security personnel of Indian Shasatra Seema Bal (SSB) made it difficult for the bridge to be constructed from the very beginning.” Prem Lama, a teacher in the area, said. “As there is no approach road in the bridge area,
people are unable to run four-wheeler vehicles. Only motorcyclists and pedestrians are using the bridge these days.”
According to the District Officer Loknath Paudel, Indian nationals use two canals of Thute stream for irrigation. “Though there’s no problem in policy level, some Indian nationals are obstructing the construction of the approach road knowing that it would disturb their canals,” said Paudel, adding that he has been talking with the officials of Ministries of Home and Foreign Affairs about the problem. “I have also directed the contractor to construct the infrastructures without disturbing the canals,” Anuthalal Patel, chief of the Postal Road Project Office, warns that this dispute might not solve immediately. “ The Indian nationals want to keep two hume pipes to run the canals.
However, the Nepali nationals have been demanding to bury the canals,” said Patel. The contractor has to complete the construction of the road until mid March 2019, said Patel.