Nepal-China Seven Border Crossing-points

Buddhi Narayan Shrestha

 

Nepal and China have agreed to open additional seven border crossing-points after India enacted   undeclared border blockade to Nepal. It has made a signature on 20-point agreement between Nepal and China to make a feasibility study in connection to operate these seven border crossing-points. The parliamentary committee has instructed to the government to open the crossing-points with China and to upgrade the standard of the roads which connect these points. The seven border crossing points are Olangchungola, Kimathanka, Lamabagar, Gorkha Larke, Mustang, Mugu and Humla. Besides these seven crossing-points, Kodari-Khasa has been in operation since 1968 for the transaction of trade and commerce. The second commercial border-point is the Rasuwagadhi-Kerung, which has come into use recently.
Description of  seven border crossing-points which have been supposed to be operated for the trade and commerce in future are as followings:-

 

Border- point No.	Name of Border Crossing Points		Height of Crossing-point (Meter)	Distance to Tibetan Market from the Border-point (Meter)	Length of the Road to connect Cina (Tibet) and India (Kilometer)
	Nepal	Nearest Market of China
1	Olangchungola (Tiptala Pass)	Riwa Bazar	5,095	22	Riwa Bazar to Panitanki/Galgalia= 360
2	Kimathanka (Lengdup)	Riwa Bazar	2,248	30	Riwa Bazar to Jogbani= 281
3	Lamabagar (Lapchi)	Phalek	2,050	14	Phalek to Bhitamode= 240
4	Gorkha Larke (Lajyang Pass)	Kungtang	5,098	59	Kungtang to Bhikhana Thori= 420
5	Mustang (Korala)	Zhongba	4,871	47	Zhongba to Sunauli 448
6	Mugu (Nagcha)	Hyazimang	6,495	21	Hyazimang to Rupaidiya= 374
7	Humla (Hilsa)	Sera	5,092	19	Sera to Gaurifanta= 473

 
This table and map show that the shortest having low height road is Lamabagar (Lapchi)-Phalek crossing-point road.  31 kilometer of road has to be constructed from Lamabagar to touch the Chinese border. If a 6 km long tunnel road is constructed from Lamabagar, the length of the road will be shortened by 25 km.

 

Kimathanka-Riwa Bazar crossing-point road is most feasible for the purpose of increasing the business activities of eastern Nepal with China. But it has to construct 113 km additional road from Khadbari to the border crossing point. This road will connect China to Indian broad gaze  railway station at Jogbani.

 

For the western Nepal, Mustang-Zhongba border crossing point road is most useful. This road is already in operation. But there is mud-built road between Beni to Mustang (Korala) section, which bears nearly 35 percent  of the total 448 km long road. Unofficial and local trade, commerce and transit have been already started through this road.

 

Humla (Hilsa)-Sera (Taklakot) crossing road will be useful for the Nepali people of far western region. Chinese road has been already constructed all the way from Taklakot to Yari Hilsa border point. And Nepal has extended this road up to 40 km towards Simikot of Nepal.  Now there is 50 km more to connect Simikot, the headquarter of Humla district.

 

Gorkha Larke and Mugu (Nagcha) crossing point roads are less feasible in comparison to other roads. However, the Tibetan authority opens the crossing points near to Samagaun and Chhekampar of Gorkha Larke, two months a year to sell the daily necessities and consumable goods for the Nepali and Tibetan local inhabitants. These border points had been opened also this year during September-October.

 

(An image of my article on the above mentioned heading, published in Nagarik Daily, has been copied below) :-

Let us not hurl stones from no-man’s land

Buddhi Narayan Shrestha

 

After the promulgation of new constitution in Nepal, some Tarai-based political party leaders have raised agitation in the Tarai plain area. They are saying that the new constitution is not inclusive and they have been discriminated. Their demands have not fulfilled concerning the demarcation of provinces. Some districts of plain Tarai have not been included in the Madhes Provinces. Madhes Pradesh must be demarcated on on the basis of number of population.

 

In response, Kathmandu central government reiterates that the new constitution is inclusive, as the constitutional rights of lower section of various ethnic groups of the society have been incorporated. Proportional representation from  the marginalized and weaker ethnic society and women section have been preserved to uplift them and to reach their voices to the central government and even constitutional parliament. According to the soil and environment of Nepal, provinces have been demarcated on the basis of population as well as the geography of Nepal.

 

Having not satisfied by the statement of the centre, Madhes-based party leaders circulated misinformation and created misinterpretation, and they misguided Madhesi ignorant general people to make agitation against central government. Some groups of agitators blocked India-Nepal border crossing-points. Government of India did not let cross the vehicles, loaded with medicines, goods of necessity, daily consumption materials and earthquake relief materials. Besides, petroleum product carrier tankers, gas bullets were blocked unofficially supporting the local border agitators.

 

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s political party BJP cadres provided food and drink and temporary shelter to the Nepali agitators. For example, BJP party worker Mahesh Kumar Agrawal provided breakfast, lunch, tea and snacks and dinner to  the Nepali agitators free of cost at Raxaul-Birganj border crossing no-man’s land. The agitators/dissatisfied persons, staying on the no-man’s land of the Indian side, hurled stones and bricks many days to the Nepal security personnel. Indian authorities did not take any action against the foreign agitators who were throwing and hurling stones and bricks to Nepal side, standing on the no-man’s land. Instead, Indians were instigating and encouraging Nepali agitators to expand their illegal activities.

 

Here lies a question, why Indian government did not check the unlawful activities of the Nepali dissatisfied group, who were housed on the no-man’s land of Indian side? In fact, the Indian policemen should chase the Nepali agitators from no-man’s land to their own territory.

 

There are no-man’s lands (ten-yard lands) each at India-Nepal border on both the sides of the Junge Boundary Pillars. According to the international boundary principles, conventions and practices; the no-man’s land must not be used or occupied by anyone any time. Only the criminal occupies and stays over no-man’s land for some hours or days. In principle, there will be nothing to eat and drink, no shelter on the no-man’s land. After some days, the criminal will be thirsty, hungry and sleepless. And he will reach into a point of death. So he will step beyond the no-man’s land to get water and food to save his life. In this condition, the criminal will be arrested by the policemen of that frontier. If he had committed crimes on that frontier, he will be punished by that government. If the crime was done on the other side of the border, the criminal should be handed over to the neighbouring country’s’ policemen.

 

But on the contrary of the international principle and practice, the Indian government provided protection to the Nepali agitators who were staying illegally on the Indian side no-man’s land, who are hurling stones and bricks to the neighbouring country’s security personnel. It is a kind of absurd and paradox shown by the Indian side.

 

In fact, the Nepali dissatisfied agitators are hurling stones to their own motherland with a rage. It is something like that they are stoning their own homes, standing on their own courtyard, just in front of their main door. When someone throws stones on his own home, the stone will break his window frames and glasses. The stone may damage and destroy the walls of his own sweet home. In the same way, let us not hurl stones towards our own country standing on the neighbour’s no-man’s land illegally. It will break and destroy even our own individual homes, so  that we have to bear extra expenses ultimately to repair and maintain our broken windows and destroyed lovely homes. If some of the groups are dissatisfied with the new constitution, they should gherao Singha Darbar (central secretariat), block the parliament motion and they must seek legal action slanting at the Supreme Court. Instead, it is not perfect to hurl stones and bricks brutally, standing illegally on the no-man’s land of Indian side.

 

(This is more or less the summary of my below posted article, published on the Kantipur Daily).