PM urges experts to put views confidently in Nepal-India joint meeting

Nuwakot / Feb 26: Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has directed the Nepali delegation taking part in a joint meeting of experts of Nepal and India beginning tomorrow to openly put their views in the interest of the nation. The joint meeting is scheduled to discuss the implementation issue of Pancheshwor Multipurpose Project.

In his address to a meeting organized by the Secretariat of Water and Energy Commission at Singha Durbar to apprise him about the implementation issue, the PM urged the delegation to make preparations in such a way for the meeting so that they could put their views confidently.

Stating that Nepal should have access to 350 cusecs of water in the Chandani-Dodhara area as per the 23-year-old Mahakali Treaty, the Prime Minister asserted that this issue should be raised seriously in the joint discussions.

PM Oli said, “Our first priority is to implement the treaty. As per the treaty, Nepal should get per second 10 cusecs water. Now there should not be the situation in which our land remaining barren (for lack of irrigation facility).”

He said that initiative should be taken to make India implement the Mahakali treaty signed on February 2, 1996.

Energy Minister Barshaman Pun, Chief Advisor of the Prime Minister Bishnu Prasad Rimal, Foreign Affairs Advisor to PM, Dr Rajan Bhattarai, among others, were present on the occasion.

The two-day third joint meeting of experts of both countries is taking place in Kathmandu.