Uttarakhand: Stones were thrown from Nepal at Indian workers building a security wall along the Kali river

Pithoragarh: Stones were pelted from across the border at Indian workers building a security wall along the Kali river between India and Nepal in Uttarakhand, following which the Pithoragarh district administration took up the issue with the Nepalese authorities. An official gave this information on Tuesday.

District Magistrate Reena Joshi said that the incident took place on Monday (December 19) in Dharchula in Pithoragarh district. He told that those who pelted stones also raised slogans.

Joshi said that he has spoken to the Nepalese authorities about the incident and they have assured action against those involved.

This was the second incident of stone pelting on Indian workers from across the border. Earlier, such an alleged incident took place on December 4.

On December 4, some ‘miscreants’ of Nepal threw stones at the Indians working for the construction of a wall in the Ghatkhola area. This created tension between the people of the two countries and Indian traders blocked the bridge on the border with Nepal for about two hours.

After the severe floods in Ghatkhola in 2013, there was a need to build a protective wall on the banks of the Kali river.

Local residents said that they (the attackers) are demanding withdrawal of the case registered in India against Nepali ‘miscreants’ who pelted stones at Indian workers on December 4.

He alleged that the stone-pelters are affiliated with the Viplav faction of the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) and their intention is to disrupt the construction work on the river bank.

Officials had earlier said that Nepali authorities were initially opposed to the construction of the protection wall due to fears that it would divert the river’s flow towards Nepal, increasing the risk of flooding there.

Nepalese authorities finally agreed to allow construction after Indian authorities assured Nepal of taking precautions to ensure that its interests were not harmed.

An engineer from the Irrigation Department said, “We have already completed the construction of 332 meters of the 985 meters of protection wall. If the construction continues peacefully, we will complete the rest of the wall before the start of the next monsoon.

times of India According to the report, on December 4, a laborer was injured in a stone pelting incident by a group of Nepali citizens.

An SSB (Sashastra Seema Bal) official at the border said, “Monday’s incident took place during a procession taken out by Biplav’s supporters, in which they raised anti-India slogans like ‘Limpiyadhura, Kalapani, Lipulekh hamare hain’.”

He said, “Both sides are holding talks to resolve the issue amicably, but it seems that there is a group of political leaders who are inciting the public against India for their vested interests.”

The official also claimed that these leaders have some kind of support from the Nepal Police, who were present during the procession.

SSB Commandant (Dharchula) Mahendra Pratap Singh said, ‘A formal protest has been lodged with our counterpart in Nepal, the Armed Police Force. This time no laborer working on the Indian side was injured.

It is to be known that in May 2020, amidst the border dispute with India, Nepal’s cabinet had accepted a new political map, in which Lipulekh, Kalapani and Limpiyadhura were shown in Nepali territory.

Lipulekh Pass, the disputed border between Nepal and India, is a remote western location near Kalapani. Both India and Nepal claim Kalapani as an integral part of their border. India describes it as part of Pithoragarh district of Uttarakhand and Nepal describes it as part of Dharchula district.

The map of India has been showing these parts in its part for a long time. However, Nepal has been calling it a violation of the Sugauli Treaty of 1816.

A few days earlier, on May 8, 2020, after India opened the important 80 km long road connecting Lipulakh Pass with Dharchula in Uttarakhand, the relations between the two countries stressful they were finished.

Important from a strategic and strategic point of view and located at an altitude of 17,000 feet, the Lipulekh Pass adjacent to the border with China will now be connected to Dharchula in Uttarakhand through this road.

Objecting to this, Nepal had said that this ‘unilateral step’ is against the agreement made between the two countries to resolve the border issues.

Nepal protested saying that this road passes through its territory. A few days later, Nepal new political map Presented, to which India reacted strongly. However, in June 2020, the Parliament of Nepal approved the new political map of the country.

(With inputs from news agency Bhasha)

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