Kathmandu and New Delhi Prepare Agenda Featuring Major Hydropower Projects, Infrastructure Inaugurations, and Border Disputes
Preparations are officially underway between Kathmandu and New Delhi for Nepali Prime Minister Balendra Shah’s anticipated three-day official bilateral visit to India slated for the latter half of November, marking his first major foreign tour since assuming office in March, during which he will hold high-level delegation talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and senior cabinet ministers to exchange project inaugurations and address longstanding bilateral issues, even though formal dates remain unconfirmed by the Prime Minister’s Office and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, with diplomatic sources indicating that the agenda will span significant joint milestones—such as inaugurating the Nepal Police Academy in Panauti, an integrated check post in Bhairahawa, and a Darchula bridge, alongside marking construction kickoffs for the Dodhara Chandani check post, Lower Arun hydropower project, and a Siliguri-Jhapa petroleum pipeline—while also tackling major strategic energy ventures including the West Seti, Phukot Karnali, and Seti River-6 hydropower projects involving India’s NHPC, seeking concessional loans and grants for recovery following the devastating August 26 Bhotekoshi disaster, and addressing thorny historical and diplomatic matters such as boundary disputes, additional air-entry points for Nepal, trade imbalances, and transit arrangements as both nations seek to deepen economic integration and strategic cooperation.
