The recently held Eminent Persons’ Group meeting on Nepal-India Relations recommends incorporation of “smart borders” to limit cross-border movements only through ‘designated-points’.

This move comes as a measure to check infiltration, curb criminal activities and maintain records of people crossing either side of the body.

Additionally, Nepali officials reveal that the panel of experts also recommends issuance of electronic ID cards alongside incorporating specific entry points.

The Next Steps:
Once the plan is in place, both countries will initiate installation of security-check equipment across the border and issuance of electronic ID cards to their citizens.

Later, Nepal and India will decide which documents will replace the electronic ID cards; like passports, driving license and other ID proofs.

Currently, both the nations have machine-readable passports but lack digitized national ID cards, voter IDs or driving licenses.

What Nepal Officials Say?
According to a Nepali official, the report on the suggested ‘smart borders’ does not explain why the border should be made a smart border and how will this process come into play.

Nepali officials are also of the opinion that this border-security project is ‘ambitious’ and it may take years to action even if both, Nepal and Indian governments give a ‘nod’ for the proposal.

“People living near the border want it to be open, without any restrictions, because they have relatives and businesses on either side of the border,” says Nischal Nath Pandey, Foreign Policy Expert.

So, we are not sure how the government is going to maintain the same harmony, says Pandey, adding further.

Additionally, he recommends that the governments should consider public feedback before making any further plans.

Since discussions started in 2016, Nepal representatives have pointed that the border is not opened as provisioned by the 1950 Nepal-India Peace and Friendship Treaty.

About the Nepal-India Eminent Persons Group:
The National Securities body was formed in 2016. Since then, the group has had 9 meetings in both countries’ capitals, Kathmandu and New Delhi.

Conclusion:
Currently, people crossing the Nepal-India border don’t have to produce any ID proof plus there are no restricted entry-exit points.

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This meet was used by both parties to identify the roadblocks that hinder project implementation.

According to the Nepal Foreign Affairs Ministry, the status of all ongoing Indo-Nepal projects was discussed.

The meeting stressed on completion of all the economic and development projects at the earliest, by finding solutions to difficulties experienced during implementation of various projects.

Cross-border rail projects, Arun-III Hydropower project and the Terai Roads project are some of the projects, as per the update by the Indian Embassy.

The two bodies discussed the measures for early completion of the project within the provided TAT and expressed commitment for smooth execution of projects.

Nepal Foreign Secretary Shankar Das Bairagi and Indian Ambassador Manjeev Singh Puri represented both countries at the meeting.

The latest decision comes as a result of the discussions made on the Nepal-India Oversight Mechanism to address concerns over ongoing bilateral projects implementation within stipulated time frames, taking during former Nepal PM Pushpa Kamal Dahal’s state visit to India in September 2016.

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Now that Nepal has the support of its neighboring countries, it is gearing up for its upcoming railway projects. The department is currently assessing its needs and addressing any issues that need immediate attention to meet one of its major goals of building a strong rail network internally and externally.

“We are assessing the needs and preparing a plan accordingly,” says Nepal Railway Department, Senior Engineer, Prakash Upadhyaya.

According to Upadhyaya, the department will shortly approach the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport, a crucial agency that is responsible for the progress of major infrastructure projects.

However, there are some issues that present obstacles in the department’s course of action.

Obstacles to the project:

• Currently, the budget and infrastructure allocated to the department is not enough to push the project forward. The government has given a sum of Rs 4.5 million for the department’s overall development including the study of multiple railway projects, which include the prospects of monorail
• The department lacks skilled labor and currently does not have any rail engineers.
• The existing workforce is not sufficient as there are only 40 persons presently working for the agency.

The department officials opined that budget allocation will not impact their work provided that a pre-feasibility study of cross-border railway lines is financially supported by the supporting neighboring countries.

Despite the challenges, Nepal’s railway department is undeterred and is keen on garnering support from its neighboring countries to commence the projects.

Talking about the situation, Upadhyaya says, “We may lack the resources, but we do have Nepali people who have been trained in railway engineering in countries like China and South Korea. We should be working towards attracting such individuals to work for us.”

With the aim of equipping its existing workforce with the required skills for the projects, Nepal has sent two if its engineers to China to study a Master’s degree in Railway Engineering.

Infrastructure expert Suraj Raj Acharya is of the opinion that the country needs to be clear on the railways’ significance in the country’s transport infrastructure before zeroing on aspects construction or technical feasibility.

Making his point clear, he says, “There are several railway technologies and the country should cautiously pick an appropriate technology that can help achieve the development goal the country aims to achieve. A rail having a speed of 200 hours per kilometer can adversely impact number of airports in the country.”

Have we made consideration of such situation before creating railway euphoria?” he questions.

The latest update comes as a development to the discussions the prime ministers of Nepal and India had with regard to the prospects of developing railway lines within Nepal and beyond in their recent meetings.

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