India inks MoU with Nepal for key cross-border infra project

On Monday, India and Nepal signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the construction of a motorable bridge across the Mahakali River, linking Dharchula (India) and Darchula (Nepal), in what can be described as a show of support for infrastructure projects in the Himalayan State. In the presence of Minister of Physical Infrastructure and Transport, Government of Nepal Renu Kumari Yadav, Ambassador of India to Nepal Vinay Mohan Kwatra and Secretary, Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport, Government of Nepal, Shri Rabindra Nath Shrestha signed the MoU. The MoU will make it easier for the project's implementing agencies to conduct site investigations and other construction-related tasks. In that area, the proposed bridge will allow motorised cross-border connectivity with Nepal. The project will improve cross-border connectivity between Nepal's Sudurpaschim province and India's Uttarakhand state, where communities on both sides of the border have long held traditional, cultural, and people-to-people ties. This aligns with both governments' shared goal of increasing cross-border connectivity to streamline commercial, cultural, and people-to-people exchanges. The bridge will connect the two sides of the river securely. Residents of villages on both sides of the border currently have few safe options for crossing the river, and they are forced to rely on suspension and even traditional bridges, which are not always safe. The Uttarakhand State Government intends to begin construction on the bridge as soon as possible. Image Source Also read: Nepal asks India to stop unilateral construction of roads