26 July, Kathmandu: With the arrival of the Indian Minister for External Affairs Sushma Swaraj in Kathmandu yesterday evening, the third meeting of Nepal-India Joint Commission is being held today.
The meeting being held after 23 years will dwell on upon the entire gamut of bilateral relations including outstanding issues like Kalapani and Susta.
The proposed agenda of the Commission deal with five main cluster and their sub-clusters ranging from political, security, boundary and boarder issues. Review of the Treaty of Peace and Friendship of 1950 and other bilateral agreements are high on the card.
Constituting of a Foreign Secretary-level mechanism, setting up the Eminent Persons Group (EPG), security and defense cooperation, repair and maintenance of boundary pillars and installation of the missing ones, establishment and functioning of Boundary Working Group, construction of road near boarder causing inundation and finalization of an MoU on drug control demand, reduction and prevention of illicit trafficking in narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances, among others will be discussed under political, security, boundary and boarder management cluster in the meeting.
Similarly, other issues the meeting focuses are the line of credit from EXIM Bank, cooperation in agricultural development, mid-hill highway (Eastern sector including Sikkim link near Chiyo Bhanjyang), widening of East-West Highway (central and eastern sector), Mahakali bridge of Mahendranagar, suspension bridge at Dadeldhura, postal highway and feeder roads (Tarai roads)-Phase I and II, Tanakpur Mahendranagar link road, fast track linking Kathmandu with Tarai, rail link –phase I and II, rolling stock for railways, railway development (Bardibas-Simara-Birgunj), cricket stadium in Pokhara, cooperation to Pashupati Area Development, opening of trauma centre, conservation of Chure region, installation of shallow tube wells in Tarai region, establishment of Nepal Police Academy, extension of the MoU on small development project and transit facilitation, youth exchange, constructions of Nepal-India Friendship Pushupati Dharmashala, a police clinic in Hetauda, Nepal-India Friendship Auditorium, presenting 2,500 kg of sandalwood to Nepal, conservation of heritages on the premises of the Pashupatinath and goiter prevention, measures to reduce trade deficit, trade facilitation, countervailing duty, Rauxal-Amalekhgunj pipeline, infrastructure development at special economic zone at Birgunj, construction of additional SEZ, construction of ICD at Mahendranagar, transshipment process at Kolkata port and the power trade agreement, ToR of Pancheshwor Development Authority, expedition of Pancheshwor Multipurpose Project, concluding of project development agreement of Upper Karni and Arun III, and cross border transmission line at Karmaiya-Kushaha-Raxaul-Parbavnipur.
The 21-member Indian delegation is led by Minister for External Affairs Swaraj while Foreign Minister Mahendra Bahadur Pandey is to lead the Nepali side during the meeting.
