Nepal and India will hold discussion about ferrying goods using waterways of Indiay. Officials of the two countries will hold discussion on the matter in Kathmandu on July 15 and 16.
Coordinator of the committee formed by the government to study feasibility of transportation of goods using waterways of India and Joint Secretary at the Water and Energy Commission Madhav Belbase said four Indian officials including vice chairman of Indian Inland Waterways Authority will arrive for the meeting.
"We will have to use Indian waterways at most of the places if we want to bring goods using waterways. We will discuss the issues they have studied until now and what will be our feasibility," Belbase told Setopati.
The government had formed the committee including representatives from energy and irrigation, physical infrastructure and transport, industry, commerce and supplies, and foreign ministries. The committee includes Gopal Sigdel, Praveen Raj Aryal, Tarka Raj Bhatta, Rita Dhital and Maheshwore Shrestha.
The joint statement issued during the India visit of Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli also mentioned providing access to the sea for Nepal.
"Taking cognizance of their geographies and noting the development of inland waterways in both countries, the two Prime Ministers took the landmark decision to develop the inland waterways for the movement of cargo, within the framework of trade and transit arrangements, providing additional access to sea for Nepal," the joint statement on inland waterways states.
The two PMs have directed the respective officials to do homework to add even waterways in the trade and transit agreement between the two countries.
India, that has the ambitious plan of expanding waterways across India, has agreed to provide the access to that network for Nepal.
India has been studying about building transportation network through its rivers with assistance of Rs 80 billion from the World Bank. It has also put forward an ambitious plan of constructing 14,000-kilometer of waterways.
India is currently developing waterway in the Ganges from Haldia of West Bengal till Banaras of Uttar Pradesh. It plans to ferry cargo through small ships there.
Nepal currently uses the Haldia Port of Kolkata for trade with the third countries. Koshi river meets the Haldia-Banaras waterway at Katihar of Bihar which is over 100 kilometers down the Nepali border. Similarly, Narayani river meets the Ganges near Patna of Bihar.
Nepal in principle can use the waterway developed by India in the Ganges through the two rivers.
