New Delhi: Amid the territorial dispute between India and Nepal over the Kalapani region, Nepal has built an 87-km-long road connecting Changru, Tinker near China border which is believed will ensure better access to China border which lies beyond Tinker.
Experts opine that China will stand to benefit from the new road build by Nepal as it could come closer to the Indian border.
Speaking to ETV Bharat former ambassador JK Tripathi said, "It can be assumed that the road is to facilitate the movement of Chinese to Nepal, not vice versa because Nepalese going to China won’t cause any harm but Chinese coming to Nepal will be posing a threat to Bhutan and Sikkim”.
Chinese manoeuvre will have an impact on India but we don’t know how much is between the lines of China’s road project. In fact, this route is going to benefit China more than Nepal because, by the road, China can approach deep inside Nepal and pose a threat to Indian forces as well as forces of Bhutan.
He reiterated that the 550-meter pedestrian road will be strategically more important to China than to Nepal because this is how China can come more into proximity with Indian border and pose a threat in Sikkim border or Bhutanese border or Uttarakhand border once China gets entry into Nepal. “It would be difficult for India. Given the tactics, Chinese might have pressurized Nepal to construct the road”, he added.
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Gen. Ashok K. Mehta of Indian Army who has explored Nepal since 1959 said, “Nepal is a sovereign independent country, it has built a road one at each side of the border and in the inaccessible areas close to Kalapani. Earlier, Nepalese had to travel to the Indian side and then migrate to their villages. Now the road build by Nepal army will cut short their travel”.
“Nepal has been building this road from quite some time now and has not come up with it overnight. It has been built on the demand of the Nepalese people and to prevent the Nepalese using Indian side of the territory. There is no point of exaggerating what the Chinese would want Nepal to do. I do not think the road will have an adverse effect on the already existing border conflict”, he added.
Earlier, 200 Nepalese families of Chhangaru and Tinker used to migrate through Dharchula in Indian Territory. The road connecting Chhangru and Tinker, the last village on the China border, cost Rs 1.80 crore.
It is worth noting that this route was blocked 40-year-ago due to the torrential waters of Mahakali river. As a result, people of Chhangaru and Tinker region were depended on India for their migration from their villages to other places.
The prime focus of speedy construction of this road is to reduce the dependence of Nepalese citizens on Indian roads. Despite the border dispute between the two countries after the inauguration of the Chiyalekh road, India generously allowed the villagers of Chhanguru and Tinker to migrate from India during the lockdown.
People residing in Tinker and Chhangru villages move to lower valleys from November to April and migrate to the Upper reaches from May to October. Chhangru has 90 families living there and Tinker 60, who are dependent on the path.
The tensions between the two countries related to boundary issue came to the forefront in May after the Nepal government released a new map of Nepal incorporating Indian territories of Lipulekh, Kalapani and Limpiyadhura.
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