Context: Nepal PM Sparks Row Over India–Nepal Boundary Issue
Nepal PM Balendra Shah stated that Nepal too has encroached upon Indian territory, reviving the Kalapani–Lipulekh–Limpiyadhura dispute.
India–Nepal Boundary Dispute
Disputed Areas:
Core Issue:
Different interpretations of the Treaty of Sugauli, 1816, and the source of the Kali / Mahakali / Sharda River.
Lipulekh Pass:
- India–Nepal–China tri-junction.
- Route for Kailash Mansarovar Yatra.
India–Nepal Connectivity
- Mechi Bridge: Panitanki, West Bengal — Kakarbhitta, Nepal.
- Jaynagar–Kurtha Railway.
- Motihari–Amlekhgunj Petroleum Pipeline — South Asia’s first cross-border petroleum pipeline.
- Raxaul–Kathmandu Railway — proposed.
Neighbourhood Connectivity
- Maitri Setu: India–Bangladesh, over Feni River.
- Kaladan Project: India–Myanmar.
- India–Myanmar–Thailand Trilateral Highway: India–ASEAN connectivity.
Quick Facts
- Border length: 1,751 km.
- Border States: Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal and Sikkim.
- Open border allows free movement of citizens.
- Key rivers: Mahakali / Sharda, Kosi and Gandak.
Significance
Despite disputes over Kalapani–Lipulekh–Limpiyadhura, connectivity, trade, energy cooperation and people-to-people ties remain the foundation of India–Nepal relations.
