Pithoragarh (U’khand), Mar 15 (PTI) Nepalese organisations have objected to an embankment being built by India over the Kali river.
The organisations — Nepal Dalit Sangh, Nepal Tarun Dal and Nepal Vidhyarthi Sangh — accused India of diverting the flow of the river towards Nepal and constructing the embankment by encroaching 10 metres of Nepalese land.
They have also lodged a complaint in this regard with the Nepal government through Darchula district administration. Darchula in Nepal is adjacent to Dharchula in the border district of Pithoragarh on the Indian side. “We have written to our government requesting it to check if international parametres are being violated by India on the construction of the embankment by diverting the flow of the river artificially at Ghatkhola,” Ramesh Bhatt, president, Nepal Vidyarthi Sangh said.
Meanwhile, a group of Nepalese youth threw stones on Indian workers at the embankment construction site in Ghatkhola on Sunday. However, no one was injured in the incident. The protesting youth later fled the spot, Dharchula SDM A K Shukla said. “We have continued the work as we have to complete it in time before this monsoon,” he said. According to sources, the protesting youth belonged to Bangabagar village of Nepal.
Commenting on the apprehension of the Nepalese side, Shukla said depositing debris in the middle of the river might direct its flow towards Nepal and wash away the sand deposits.
However, Deepak Rongkali, president, Rung Kalyan Sanstha at Dharchula asserted that India is making the embankment on its own side and it should not bother the Himalayan nation.
“While they (Nepal) were constructing the embankment on their side, we did not object, then why are they objecting when we are constructing the embankment on our side?” he asked.
The Kali river, also called Sharda river and Mahakali river, originates at Kalapani in the Himalayas in Pithoragarh district of Uttarakhand. It flows along Nepal’s western border with India.
The construction of more than 1,700 metres long embankment on the Indian side of the river Kali began last week.
PTI CORR ALM SRY
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