Nepal Resumes Work On 12-Year-Old Border Road Project Connecting To China, Running Parallel With Uttarakhand

Amid simmering tensions between Nepal and India over territorial matters, the Nepal government has upped the ante, restarting work on the 130-kilometre-long Darchula-Tinkar road which would facilitate Nepal's connectivity to China through the Tinkar Pass, reports Times of India.

The project had been sanctioned in 2008 to boost Nepal-China trade and bilateral tourism and pilgrim activity. However, it has been a major worry for India as about 50 kilometres of its part runs in parallel to the Indo-Nepalese border along with the state of Uttarakhand.

Nepal Prime Minister (PM) K P Sharma Oli's administration has entrusted the Nepalese Army to complete the project, of which only about 43 kilometres of the road have been laid so far due to harsh weather conditions and tough terrain.

The border tensions between the two nations have been on a rise ever since Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated the 80 kilometres long road connecting Lipulek Pass to Dharchula in Uttarakhand on 8 May, as Nepal had launched a vocal protest claiming that Lipulekh Pass is a part of its own territory.