India, Nepal to enhance connectivity through infrastructure development

New Delhi, Aug 24 (IANS) India and Nepal on Thursday agreed to enhance connectivity between the two countries for economic growth as Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Nepal counterpart Sher Bahadur Deuba held delegation-level talks here.

"The two Prime Ministers shared the view that enhanced connectivity between India and Nepal will increase people-to-people contacts as well as promote economic growth," a joint statement issued after the discussions said, adding that both leaders reviewed the progress made in the implementation of bilateral connectivity projects.

According to the statement, both sides recognised the need for early completion of two ongoing cross-border rail-link projects - Jayanagar-Bijalpura-Bardibas and Jogbani-Biratnagar - and noted they will be completed by 2018.

It said that both leaders underlined the importance of rail links in connectivity as these links could usher in growth and development by way of enhanced trade and tourism links.

Both leaders also agreed on early completion of the field location survey of the remaining three cross-border rail links: New Jalpaiguri-Kakarbhitta, Nautanwa-Bhairahawa, and Nepalgunj Road-Nepalgunj.

The two leaders also welcomed the award of work of integrated check post at Biratnagar and directed their officials to operationalise it by December 2017, while seeking early approval of "Detailed Engineering Designs of ICPs at Bhairahawa and Nepalgunj".

Modi and Deuba also expressed satisfaction on the award of contract for 12 packages under nine roads, totalling about 240 km, under the Terai roads project.

"The Nepali side assured to resolve expeditiously all encumbrances relating to land acquisition, forest clearances and removal of utility services for early completion of the project," the statement said.

"The two Prime Ministers noted with satisfaction the progress in the construction of dharamshala at the Pashupatinath temple complex. They expressed hope that the work on the dharamshala and Nepal-Bharat Maitri Polytechnic at Hetauda would be expedited."

According to the statement, Deuba said that the Nepal government considered the Motihari-Amlekhgunj petroleum pipeline project a priority project and both leaders welcomed the finalisation of detailed engineering route survey and engineering design reports and asked officials to "expeditiously remove all bottlenecks, including right of way, land acquisition, environmental and regulatory clearances, so that the construction work could begin at the earliest".

Both Modi and Deuba also welcomed the decision to set up a joint working group on cooperation in oil and gas sectors, which would consider measures such as construction of an LPG pipeline from Motihari to Amlekhgunj, construction of a natural gas pipeline from Gorakhpur to Sunwal, and assistance of Indian Oil for preparing a detailed project report for extension of petroleum products pipeline from Amlekhgunj to Chitwan in Nepal.