Year: 2013
Type: article
Abstract: Because of the open-border system between Nepal and India, the people-to-people relations among the border inhabitants of the countries in social, cultural, economic and a diversity of other fields have remained unparalleled in world history.The border between Nepal and China is largely sealed and as such the border inhabitants among the two countries have not been able to obtain adequate benefit at the local level.It is likely that the border inhabitants living along Nepal's border regions with India and China would benefit more if connectivity is developed between the two sides of the border through roads, irrigation, communication and other infrastructural facilities.In order to safeguard Nepal's national interest, the country has to take all possible precautions to ensure that the interest of one neighbor is not affected by the other, while avoiding further rivalry between them. Status of the Border RegionsUnfortunately, Nepal's border regions with both India and China largely remain underdeveloped.Quite inadequate efforts have been made by the centre to develop infrastructural facilities such as roads, telecommunications, education, health and other facilities along those regions.This is so because the development of peripheral border regions with India and China had never been a priority for the Nepalese government.Due to unknown reasons, both India and China also remained passive when it came to the development of their own regions bordering Nepal.While efforts were made during British rule in India to develop coastal cities like Kolkata, Madras, Mumbai and Ahmadabad, no such effort was ever made for the development of the regions bordering Nepal.Similarly, China gave a major thrust to the development of its coastal cities by opening special economic zones (SEZ) in Shenzhen, Shantou, Zhuhai and Fujian after public sector reforms were introduced in 1978, but no such effort was ever made by China to develop the regions along its border with Nepal.But in recent years India has been trying to develop linkages along its regions bordering Nepal.A transport agreement was signed between Nepal and India in 2004 for the regulation of passenger vehicular traffic through five border crossing points, including Mahendranagar, Nepalgunj, Bhairahawa, Birgunj and Kakarbhitta.In order to connect the different border districts of Nepal with Indian cities like New Delhi, Kolkata, Patna and Varanasi, 2 a provision was made for plying 53 buses on the agreed routes from each side.The nationals of Nepal and India had expected to be able to travel freely and unhindered either way on vehicles for specific purposes such as to get married, attend religious functions, go on pilgrimages and participate in study tours.3 The agreement was expected to bring a new dimension to relations between the two countries, but that scheme hardly worked satisfactorily.Like India, China too is interested in developing linkages with Nepal through transport and communication means.In this regard, Nepal made a proposal to develop the country as an economy based on a transit route between India and China at the time King Gyanendra ruled the country.Such a measure was intended to develop infrastructure in the border regions.Possibly, the connectivity between Nepal and India through Nepalese territory by road or train might not only reduce the transport cost on tradable items between India and China, but it might also increase the prospect of investment particularly in Nepal.In view of the fact that the volume of trade between India and China is to the tune of $70 billion (2011), the two countries could benefit substantially if the transport cost 2 Hari Bansh Jha, "Indo-Nepal Economic Cooperation and its Impact on Terai" (paper submitted to the Bonds Beyond Borders workshop organized by Consulate General of India in cooperation with B.P. Koirala India-Nepal Foundation (BPKF) at Birgunj (Nepal), May 27-28, 2006), 6 3 The Kathmandu Post,
Author: Hari Bansh Jha
Language: English
Subfield: Sociology and Political Science
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W352679823