CPN-UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli accompanied by his party leaders visited Nepal-China border point in Rasuwagadhi on Tuesday.

Rasuwagadhi is currently the only route connecting China’s Tibet and Nepal after the northern neighbour decided to close the Kodari route to Nepal and replace it with the mountain crossing at Rasuwagadhi following devastating the earthquake of 2015. 

During the visit, they inquired about the possibility of cross-border railway connectivity. Though Oli has been considering bringing Chinese train to Nepal via this border point the infrastructure on the Nepal side is poor.  

The former Prime Minister was accompanied by party General Secretary Ishwor Pokharel, leader Bishnu Paudel, former Speaker Subash Chandra Nembang and Secretary Shankar Pokharel, among other leaders.

After visiting the border point, they attended a programme organised at Timure Bazaar in Gosaikunda Rural Municipality-2 of Rasuwa.

Addressing the programme, Oli, who appears set to return to power, said that Rasuwagadhi border point would be elevated to international border point. 

The northern neighbor had already announced the Rasuwagadhi border as the international border point.

Saying that the planned railway project connecting Rasuwagadhi-Kathmandu would soon be extended to Pokhara-Lumbini at the earliest, Oli announced that the existing two-lane Galchi-Trishuli-Mailung Rasuwagadhi road would be expanded to four-lane road. 

Oli had won the federal parliament election from Jhapa-5 with a wide margin of 28,842 votes.