Nepal has sped up homework to operationalise the extra transit routes through India provided by the pact signed during Prime Minister KP Oli’s visit to New Delhi in February.

A high-level government team led by Chief Secretary Somlal Subedi is currently in India to undertake a study to implement the agreement which mainly deals with Nepal’s transit rights.   

In 2016, India agreed to provide additional transit routes to Nepal. The southern neighbour has agreed to allow Nepal to transport goods to Bangladesh through its territory, mainly over railways.

The Subedi-led committee including the commerce secretary and other high-ranking government officials also visited Bangladesh to study the use of freight trains in detail.

“The visit is mainly related to conducting a study on how more transit routes can be used as soon as possible,” said an official requesting anonymity.  

After making a detailed study in Bangladesh, the team visited Calcutta to identify the problems faced by Nepali traders there.

Nepali traders have been complaining about encountering problems when clearing their cargo from Kolkata port. India has already agreed to simplify the passage of goods between Nepal and Bangladesh through India.

Government officials have also begun a study about the utilization of Visakhapatnam port by Nepal as per the accord reached during the prime minister’s India visit. The Nepali delegation also visited Visakhapatnam on Thursday and Friday.

The delegation held interactions with various stakeholders such as East Coast Railway, Container Corporation of India (CONCOR) and customs and shipping agents.

Visakhapatnam port has been assigned as the second maritime gateway for Nepal after Kolkata. The port has the deepest container terminal among major ports with a permissible draft of 15 metres.

Cargo from China in particular will be brought through this port. Soon after India agreed to allow more transit routes, Nepal also signed a transit treaty with China ending the dependence on the southern neighbour for access to the sea.

The transportation of cargo will use the Visakhapatnam-Jogbani route. Similarly, additional railways and highways are being explored.  

The Nepali team is on a visit to assess the situation ahead of the commerce secretary-level talks scheduled for June 28-29 in New Delhi.

This is the implementing mechanism for trade and transit facilities. The meeting is taking place after a hiatus of two years.

Landlocked Nepal has been diversifying its transit facilities after a blockade by India last year crippled the economy.