Locals to protest Indian dam, causeway at border

RAJBIRAJ, April 13: Objecting to the Indian side´s unilateral decision to construct a dam and a causeway at the border that would further inundate Nepali villages in Saptari, locals at Rampura and Tilathi VDCs have warned of struggle against Indian high-handedness.



According to the locals, they were left with no option but to stage protests against Indian intrusion after the Nepal government remained apathetic for long toward their plight. [break]



Organizing a press meet in no man´s land at Tilathi on Friday, the locals announced that they had formed a struggle committee to save themselves after the Nepal government proved ineffective in stopping the dam construction in the border area.



As per information given at the press meet, the struggle committee under the leadership of former Saptari District Development Committee member Dev Narayan Yadav, has demanded the opening of outlets for the Khando, Triyuga and Jita rivers, which have remained blocked for three years, and which the Indian side had agreed to open. The committee has also demanded immediate halt to work on infrastructure being built by the Indian side to stop the flow of the rivers.



Former chairman of Thilathi VDC, Dineshwar Mishra, informed that the Indian side has started to build a causeway at Mahaniya near no man´s land. According to Mishra, the causeway, which would be higher than the land level on the Nepal side, would cause inundation in half a dozen villages in Saptari in the rainy season.



“The Nepal government has been acting indifferently even as the Indian dam under construction threatens many Nepali villages with inundation,” said Mishra.

He also accused the Nepal administration of being more concerned about benefit to India than the plight of Nepalis.



Last year also, the Indian side had built a dam in no man´s land between Thiladhi VDC and Kunauli Gram Panchayat in the Indian state of Bihar. The dam had caused inundation in over a dozen VDCs inculidng Tilathi, Belhi and Rampura, as well as flooding huge tracts of agriculture land in Nepal.



Superintendent of Police Bechan Yadav, chief of Boarder Security Office, Saptari, informed that the Indian and Nepali sides had agreed to clear the blockage of the Jita and Khado rivers two years ago.



However, the Indian said is yet to dig a channel to provide an outlet for the rivers. “As per the directive from the chief district officer, I have requested the Indian side not to continue the construction work until the blockage of the two rivers is cleared,” said SP Yadav.



He was of the opining that the solution to the problem should be sought by the national level governments of the two countries.

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