Now Nepal Obstructs Bihar Govt's Repair Work On Gandak Dam; How Does It Put The State At Flood Risk?

The move comes days after Nepalese parliament unanimously passed the Constitution Amendment Bill, that seeks to adopt a new political map of the country showing Indian territories of Kalapani, Lipulekh and Limpiyadhura as part of its own territory.

Representational Image/ (Photo by STR / AFP)

New Delhi: In another obdurate move by Nepal amid tumbling ties with India, Nepalese authorities have reportedly prohibited the repair work of Gandak dam, which is carried out Bihar government along the border. The step can have serious implications on the Indian state which shares a 729 km long international border with Nepal. Sanjay Jha, State Minister for Water Resources said that the Nepalese authorities arenot allowing repair work for Gandak dam that takes place on Lal bakeya river, in no man’s land and have also stopped repair work at several other locations. The move comes days after Nepalese parliament unanimously passed the Constitution Amendment Bill, that seeks to adopt a new political map of the country showing Indian territories of Kalapani, Lipulekh and Limpiyadhura as part of its own territory- the main reason why the age-old relation between the two countries is ripping to shreds. As per Jha, this is for the first time that the government is facing such a problem in movement of people and raw material for repair work. How the halt of repair work can affect Bihar? The repair activities are carried out by the Indian officials from the Water Resources Department (WRD) under Bihar government over Lal Bakey river, the embankment over which has been constructed by Bihar government years ago. The authorities further fortify the bank ahead of monsoon so that the rise in water level does not impact the state. If the engineers will not have access to flood-fighting material there then repair work of the dam will be affected, it will raise a serious problem in case water level of Gandak river increases due to heavy rainfall in Nepal, Jha explained, in his conversation with ANI. Gandak barrage has as many as 36 gates, half of the gates lie in Nepal’s part. The repair work has been done on a large segment, however work on around 400 meter-stretch is pending, reports have said. Monsoon has already arrived in Bihar and in case of heavy rains the pressure of water on the dam can increase putting the dam at the risk of a collapse. Flooding in such situation can put Bihar at risk of  a heavy damage. It is pertinent to note that such a rigid opposition was never displayed by Nepal on any previous occasion. Reports have it that the authorities tried to sort the barrage issue on a local level but it was not successful, so the Bihar officials have now decided to report the matter to Home Ministry. The Indian embassy in Nepal has also been apprised of the matter. Roti-Beti ties affected? In yet another move that may affect the ‘Roti-Beti’ ties between Nepal and Bihar border villages, Nepal's Parliamentary State Affairs and Good Governance committee has proposed to amend the country's Citizenship Act that would require a foreign woman married to a Nepali national to wait seven years for naturalised citizenship. It is to be noted that most Bihar villages and villages on Nepal’s side of border have age-old marriage relationships. It also extends to property matters in some villages. Also Watch: