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Nepal and India on Saturday signed nine different agreements during official visit by Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli.

The deals were signed between the two countries during meeting between PM Oli and his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi at Hyderabad House, New Delhi.

A  Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed between Nepal and India on utilization of USD 250 million vowed by the Indian government as post-earthquake assistance.

Likewise, MoUs were signed on strengthening of road infrastructure in Tarai region of Nepal and between Nepal Academy of Drama and Sangeet Natak Akademi of India.

Similarly, Nepal and India inked letters of exchanges on transit between Nepal and Bangladesh through Kakarvitta-Banglabandhu corridor and operation and utilization of Vishakhapatnam port.

Moreover, another letter of exchange was signed on rail transport to/from Vishakhapatnam and rail transit facility through Singhabad for Nepal’s trade with and through Bangladesh. 

On the occasion, the two prime ministers jointly inaugurated Muzzaffarpur-Dhalkebar Transmission Line.

Nepal and India have also agreed to form eminent persons group.

Kathmandu: Nepal’s Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli will begin his six-day India visit from Friday with an aim to bring back India-Nepal friendship back on track.

Briefing media persons here a day ahead of his state visit to India, Oli said his visit will clear the misunderstanding that developed recently between the two neighbours.

He, however, said that his government does not have any specific agenda or proposals to be made during his visit.

"This visit is being organised amid complex circumstances... the major objective is to clear a few misunderstandings that surfaced between the two neighbours in the last few months and taking the bilateral ties to new heights," the PM said.

"We want friendship, co-existence and mutual respect from India and we must continue this age-old relation on an equal footing... we are conscious about our interest," he added.

Refuting speculations about agreement on various pending projects, Oli stressed on creating a favourable and trust-worthy environment for strengthening the historic tie for implementation of development projects.

Observing that his upcoming visit, that begins on Friday, holds great importance for both sides, Oli said that taking the bilateral relations to a new heights and beginning of a new page in bilateral ties is another prime focus.

"We have some expectations ... and great expectation from India ... that is friendly behaviour from the Indian side. We also offer and commit the same on our side," he said.

"Investment in Nepal is secured, profitable and guaranteed ... I will tell the Indian business community in my interaction," said Oli adding that "We don't have any intention to add mud to water any more".

Oli's visit comes at a time when Nepal is struggling to get back to normal from an almost six-month-long Madhesi agitation and blockading of the India-Nepal border by the protestors that led to an acute scarcity of food, fuel and medicines in the Himalayan nation.

The prime minister said the invitation by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was an initiative to take the friendship to a new height on the basis of mutual respect and co-existence.

He said India has already welcomed Nepal's new constitution which was promulgated on September 20 last year. "India invited the PM who was elected under the constitutional provision... that means India has welcomed the constitution in Nepal."

No controversial agreements will be signed during the visit, said the PM adding that "My visit will lay ground for mutual trust and confidence".

"There has been some damage in bilateral relations and my duty is to repair it," he said.

Dwelling on the anti-Constitution agitation by the Madhesis, Oli said the issue will be resolved only through dialogue. "A high-level political body will be formed by this evening to resolve the disputable issues," he said.

The Nepali head of the government, who is embarking on the India visit with a 46-member delegation, further said that no agreement against national welfare will be concluded during his visit.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the prime minister will hold an official meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on February 20. He will also pay courtesy calls on Indian President Pranab Mukherjee and Vice-President Mohammad Hamid Ansari.

Oli said: "My government does not believe in diplomacy but in honesty and friendship. We do not believe in polished language but we believe in being practical."

"We do not use any card against each other but we just want to see mutual respect from both our neighbours," he added.

"Yes, there are some pending issues before us to accomplish but we need an advanced level of understanding to complete them ... we need to resolve them through the practical way."

This is Oli's first foreign visit after assuming the office of prime minister in October last year. He will return to Nepal on February 24.

With IANS inputs


Being one of the major parts of Bihar, the town is well connected with other parts of India. Jogbani Railway Station connects the city with some of the major metropolis such as New Delhi and Kolkata. The other nearest railhead to this town is Katihar Junction. Therefore, the question of how to reach Jogbani is not so difficult to be answered. Travelers who want to choose the airways then they can land at Patna Airport first and then take a bus or private car to reach the town. ‘Chhat Puja’ is a major festival in Jagbani which is celebrated with great zeal and fervor. If you are looking forward to come here,



KATHMANDU: Sadbhawana Party Chairman Rajendra Mahato, one of the key leaders of the agitating United Democratic Madhesi Front, was injured in a clash with police at Rani customs point, near Biratnagar of Morang district, on Saturday.

Morang District Police Office spokesperson DSP Pramod Kumar Kharel told THT Online that Mahato among some other cadres of the Front had gathered at the border point to stage a sit-in protest.
“We told them that they cannot stage any protest in the border area,” Kharel said, “But, they began pelting stones at us and ran away to the other side of the border.”

He, however, said that police did not have any information about actual injury of Mahato. “However, one of our constables sustained some injury.”

Police had to use two rounds of tear gas to disperse them, he added. “The situation is already under our control.”

Leader Rajendra Mahato receiving treatment at Golden Hospital in Biratnagar. Photo Courtesy: Upendra Mahato
Leader Rajendra Mahato receiving treatment at Golden Hospital in Biratnagar. Photo Courtesy: Upendra Mahato

Meanwhile, Upendra Mahato, a Central Committee member of Sadbhawana Party, wrote on Facebook that the protesters seized leader Mahato from the police custody and took him to the Golden Hospital in Biratnagar.

According to Upendra, the top leader of his party sustained injuries on his head and limbs and is currently receiving treatment at the intensive care unit after undergoing CT scan and other tests. He has posted photographs also.

A video posted by the Image Television on its YouTube channel shows that the Indian security personnel resorted to lathi charge after the protesters started pelting stones at the Nepali security personnel, who were seen trying to protect themselves with shields,  from the Indian side of the border.

It has been reported that leader Mahato had reached the no man’s land at Rani-Jogbani border entry point via India.

Dec 22, 2015- India on Monday welcomed the decisions taken by the government of Nepal to address demands regarding the constitution raised by agitating Madhes-based parties.
The government on Sunday had decided to form a high-level political mechanism to redraw the borders of federal provinces as part of its bid to end the prolonged Madhes crisis.
Issuing a statement on Monday, India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said, “Government of India welcomes these developments as positive steps that help create the basis for a resolution of the current impasse in Nepal.”
The Cabinet-formed mechanism has been mandated with the task of submitting a report within three months of its formation.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Kamal Thapa on Monday spoke with India’s Minister for External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and communicated the Cabinet decisions.
Stating that External Affairs Minister [Swaraj] was informed by Nepal’s DPM and Foreign Minister Kamal Thapa on Monday that Nepal’s Cabinet has taken some important decisions to address and resolve demands regarding the constitution raised by agitating Madhes-based parties, the MEA said: “As a neighbour and well-wisher, India was deeply concerned at the unrest stemming from internal differences in Nepal on the constitution. India is confident that a return to normalcy in Nepal would create a more secure and predictable climate for unimpeded commerce between our two countries.”
The MEA has also urged all Nepali political forces to demonstrate the necessary maturity and flexibility to find a satisfactory solution to the constitutional issues through constructive dialogue in an agreed timeframe.
Sunday’s Cabinet decisions include amendments to the constitution on participation in the state organs on the basis of proportionate inclusiveness and delineation of electoral constituencies on the basis of population. The government has also decided to address the concerns about demarcation of provinces through an appropriate arrangement in the constitution on the basis of political consensus. On citizenship and other issues, the government has said the issues will be resolved through negotiations and consensus.
The Madhes-based parties, which are objecting to the government move of tabling the Constitution Amendment Bill in Parliament, have made redrawing of provincial boundaries their key demand.
The government had tabled the bill in Parliament on December 15. The bill proposes proportional representation of women, Dalits, Janajatis and the Madhesi community in state bodies and electoral constituency delimitation based on the population by retaining at least one constituency for each of the 75 districts.
Objecting to the tabling of the bill, the Madhes-based parties have decided to intensify protests in the Tarai.
Before communicating Sunday’s Cabinet decisions to Swaraj on Monday, DPM and Minister for Foreign Affairs Thapa had handed over a copy of the decisions to the agitating Madhes-based parties at his office in Sheetal Niwas and urged the protesting forces to withdraw their protests in the Tarai.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, DPM and Foreign Minister Thapa assured the Madhes-based parties that the government was committed to politically addressing their concerns by forming a high-level political mechanism with the mandate to submit a report on redrawing of provincial border outlined by the newly adopted constitution with acceptable recommendations for all sides within three months and redrawing of electoral constituencies on the basis of the population. Thapa also urged the Madhes-based parties to withdraw the ongoing protests in the Tarai.

Aditya is different than the normal child of his age. Media has named him Google Boy as he seems to know every answer. Some says , he is more than a Google boy. Something miraculous is going on within him which is able to explain by science until this time. For a kid that has never been to school, Aditya knows the answer for everything.
He acquired basic ABCD on his own but within a short period of time him and his parents realized that he had an extraordinary ability to store information in his brain. He remembers the name and occupation of everyone he meets , meaning of every words.

About Aditya Dahal (Nepali Google Boy)
According to news published on Sagarmatha Television & Image Television Nepal. Today Special show is focused on the four years old little boy Aditya Dahal from Chabahil, Kathmandu. He is also known as Nepali Google Boy. Aditya is different than the normal child of his age.
Video source : Sagarmatha/ Image Channel TV

Aditya was a normal baby till he was two and a half. Then, he lost his ability of normal speech and movement.

1. Due to his disability, his parents never thought of admitting him into school as he can neither talk nor even sit without help from others.

2. About two months back, the parents found that he could write though no one in the family had taught him how to read or write.

writes flawless Nepali but it does take him a lot of time to write a single word.

4. He answers almost all the questions a four year old boy would not be able to understand. (Examples are given below)

5. He has knowledge of other languages (Korean …).

6. Under the curiosity of interviewers from Nepali news channels, he’s predicted things. (Scripted below)

Here’s the video with English subtitles where he demonstrates his super-normal ability.

Nov 29, 2015- Netrabikram Chand-led CPN-Maoist cadres have set ablaze an Indian tipper in Biratnagar on early Sunday.

The arsoned tipper, WB 25 BN 606, had broken down some six months ago and was being kept in an open field near Indian Embassy contact office.

DSP Pramod Kharel informed that the tipper has been completely destroyed in the fire and the Police have recovered Chand-led Maoist pamphlets at the scene.


13 SSB personnel detained by Nepalese border guarding force
The patrol party was detained near Kishanganj district at around 7 am this morning.
An entire patrol party of 13 SSB personnel have been detained by the Nepalese border guarding force early Sunday morning along the Indo-Nepal border, news agency PTI reports.
“The patrol party was detained near Kishanganj district at around 7 am,” Shashastra Seema Bal (SSB) DG BD Sharma said.
News agency ANI reports that the patrol team was chasing diesel smugglers post which villagers detained them and handed them over to the Nepal Police.
A meeting is currently underway between officials from both sides.
Earlier this morning, news reports suggested that all Indian news channels were banned in that country.
More details are awaited.

Jhapa, Nepal: Armed Police Force (APF) has taken under control 13 security personnel of Sima Surakshya Bal (SSB) of India from Jhapa-Bihar border point at Kechana VDC of the district on early Sunday morning.    APF personnel deployed at Armed Police Border Account Post, Kechana, arrested the SSB team at around 6.30 this morning while they had entered into Nepali territory illegally.     SSB personnel with rifle have been kept under control and investigation is intensified over the motive to enter in Nepal, the Police office at Jhapa said confirming the arrest.    Notwithstanding rule, the SSB personnel have repeatedly been entering in Nepali territory in different pretext.


Nov 28, 2015- As many as 82 fuel tankers, including 23 liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) bullets, entered Nepal through the Jogbani border point in the eastern region in the last two days.

On Friday, 23 LPG bullet trucks, 33 diesel and 14 petrol tankers entered Nepal through the point, said Krishna Bahadur Basnet, chief of the Biratnagar Customs Office. On Saturday, eight diesel and 4 petrol tankers entered Nepal.

The office said that it was the biggest LPG bullet consignments made from India in a single day since the unofficial trade embargo of India on Nepal. “Lately, flow of goods through the Jogbani border point has been eased. Moreover, there are many petroleum tankers waiting clearance to enter Nepal,” said Basnet.

According to Trade and Export Promotion Centre figure, fuel imports from India that were recorded at Rs 6.86 billion and Rs 4.99 in the first and second month of the current fiscal year respectively had dropped to Rs 1.53 billion in the third month after the Tarai unrest.

Indian Member of Parliament from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Kirti Azad has said that Nepal should return 15 of its Terai districts to India.
Azad, who was elected to India's lower house Lok Sabha for the third term from Dharbhanga, Bihar, made the statement while addressing a program in his constituency on Tuesday, reports Hindi daily Jagaran. Azad's statement came as he protested that Nepal government had not addressed the demands of the Madhesi agitation.
A former cricketer of the Indian national team, Azad claimed that the 15 districts were once a part of India's territory and were granted to Nepal by the British rulers.
He said that no one in the Indian establishment had taken initiative to reclaim these territories into India once the country got independence from the British rule, adding that he would raise the issue in the parliament and make an appeal to demand the concerned districts from Nepal. He argued that if Nepal failed to abide by the demand, then India should annex these territories.
"If Nepal doesn’t return, these districts should be seized," he said.
Azad has been demanding that a separate Mithila state be carved out of Bihar for Maithili speakers.

BHOJPUR: At least four Nepali citizens were hit by bullets as Indian Seema Suraksha Bal (SSB) personnel opened fired at them at Bhantabari, Haripur-7 of Sunsari district on Wednesday morning.

The injured have been identified as locals Manoj Yadav, Ashok Yadav, Saroj Yadav and Naresh Yadav.

Locals said the Indian border security force police team of SSB stepped into the Nepali soil and opened fired at the youth, who apparently were bringing in foodstuff and chemical fertilisers from bordering Indian market.

The chief of Sunsari District Police Office, Sanjaya Raj Sharma, also confirmed the incident. Earlier, police had said the source of bullet was yet to be confirmed.

The injured are being treated at a hospital in Ghopa of Dharan. Two of them are critical, police added.

Police further added that they are investigating into the case.

Get Madhesh on board, avoid potential insurgency
There is a danger of the country plunging into yet another insurgency originating in Terai if the crisis continues there and relationship with India remains strenuous. The only way of avoiding that is the government being flexible enough to address the demands of Madheshi parties and bring them on board the national dialogue, which will put moral pressure on New Delhi to show some level of respect to Nepal’s newly promulgated constitution.
Insurgency in Terai could be a powerful tool to sabotage everything that Nepal has achieved so far and push this country to another sustained crisis. It won’t be far-fetched to say that Indian establishment will remain quiet while its intelligence agencies stretch their muscles to destabilize the border areas and still ensure their own security in those areas. A too nationalistic percept while dealing with India and taking rigid stance vis-à-vis demands of Madhesh-based parties are dangerous for Nepal’s long-term economic sustainability and protection of its sovereignty.
September 20 - the day new constitution was promulgated from Constituent Assembly - was a mix of cheerful candlelight vigils in different parts of the country and protests especially in Terai. New Delhi did not welcome it, showing concerns over unrest in Terai. While the Indian capital was issuing one press release after another to display its dissatisfaction over Nepal's political developments, panic spread among consumers in Kathmandu and elsewhere, fueled by plausible rumors that the southern neighbor was in the mood of imposing blockade.
It would have been natural if India had used diplomatic channels to show its concerns and put moral pressures on Nepali leadership to be careful about its concerns and even to ensure the changes it wishes to see in Nepal's constitution. Instead, it publicly put political pressures to change the course of political and constitutional development in Kathmandu.
Conspiracy theorists argue that New Delhi establishment prefers to have a ‘controlled chaos' in Nepal, which may be true. Although Nepal hoped a change in such a tendency after a 'development-oriented' Modi rose to power, current developments only proved the futility of their expectations. Modi comes from a political background tainted with religious fundamentalism, and there are people and organizations around him that encourage him to lobby to make Nepal a Hindu state. Likewise, a section of people in India, who spent their career claiming to be expert on Nepal issue, have been strongly lobbying in New Delhi to reverse Nepal's constitutional process, suggesting that whatever course Nepal has taken is against India’s interests. Modi has been manipulated by factors such as religious organizations, bureaucracy and people, who are driven by their ego rather than calculated rationality. The last minute visit of India's foreign secretary S Jaishankar as Modi's special envoy is a result of accumulated pressure from all these groups. The real message that Jaishankar’s visit gives is that Modi also believes that things could be reversed in Nepal’s domestic politics if India wants. Failure to do so made this whole process a prestige issue for Indian political leadership.
Madesh has been historically marginalized and suppressed by rulers from Kathmandu and India has been exploiting this for its own interests. But too much nationalistic fervor, especially from Pahade leaders in Kathmandu just diminishes opportunities to bring all Nepalis together.
Political leadership has to abandon its idea that Madhesh is used by India and should heed to the demands of Madhesh pragmatically. What is important for the leaders to understand is that Madhesh-based parties do not represent all Madhesis; there are Terai denizens who do not agree with the agenda lobbied by the Madhesi parties.
Nepal's neighbors India and China are equally arrogant when it comes to their policies towards the country. Nepal’s only way out is to move forward by balancing the two powers. China’s political leadership is concerned about the future of Nepal, but not beyond the extent of its Tibet-issue; it merely looks at Nepal from its security point of view, vis-à-vis Tibet. It would be a mistake to show ultra-nationalism in Kathmandu against India since China would not be forth-coming to save Nepal except extending its support in some of the economic fronts and humanitarian assistance. That does not mean Nepal shouldn’t be paying attention to Chinese security concerns.
India has its own problems that range from bottlenecks to economic development to security challenges. But New Delhi is not ready to lose grips from its traditional ‘sphere of influence’. Moreover, Indian ambition is to gradually have more influence at the global level. The best approach for Nepal is to be diplomatically assertive but not too nationalist that may also keep other countries away from supporting it.
Our misfortune is that the world looks at Nepal from India’s lens. Sovereignty of a country is an ‘imagined reality’; hence no country will take it seriously until and unless the country in question has something to give them back in economic terms. The best approach out of this situation for Nepal is to be economically sophisticated by establishing world-class educational institutions, improving governance and building infrastructures without being too nationalistic about where the money comes from.
The leadership has to start slowly, shifting political debate from its current focus on nationalism, ethnic and regional politics to economic development and avoid a pseudo-insurgency in Terai, which could be enough to drag this country in another vicious circle of underdevelopment and backwardness.

There have been many anti-India protests in Nepal as they feel that India has been retaliating against their government after the repromulgation of its new Constitution.
Nepal flag Nepal flag
Nepal on Sunday asked India not to "push it to the wall" by choking petroleum and other essential supplies which could compel it to turn to China despite logistical difficulties.

Asserting that India had assured Nepal leadership that the situation will be resolved "at the earliest", Nepalese Ambassador Deep Kumar Upadhyay said, "They (India) should give a timeframe. Does it mean hours, weeks or months?."

"Because if pushed to the wall or as you say 'marta kya naa karta', we will be forced to approach other countries," he told PTI in an interview, adding "though it would be logistically very difficult but if left with no option Nepal would approach other countries including China." Upadhyay said Nepal has also conveyed to India its concerns over the continued obstruction in supply of essential goods and hoped that New Delhi will soon resolve the issue, especially with festivals like Dussehra and Diwali coming up which are celebrated big in the Himalayan nation.

On the recent anti-India protests, he categorically said, "When India helped Nepal during earthquake crisis, everybody in Nepal praised them and thanked them but now when the supplies are choked, people will react and protest. It is natural."

There have been many anti-India protests in Nepal as they feel that India has been retaliating against their government after the repromulgation of its new Constitution, over which India has been clearly irked as it feels the statute was discriminatory to ethnic Indian community, Madhesi, living in Nepal's border districts.

These areas also witnessed violent protests by the Madhesis during the drafting of the Nepal Constitution. Hours after the Constitution was passed by an overwhelming majority, violence escalated and soon after Indian trucks, which trundle daily across the borders with essential supplies towards Kathmandu, stopped.

According to reports, hundreds of trucks were waiting at the border with shipments including medicine, gasoline, cooking fuel and produce. India has dismissed suggestions that it has imposed any embargo against the supplies to Nepal and has maintained that the obstruction was due to protest and unrest in that country as Indian companies and transporters fear for their safety and security.

However, the Nepalese envoy said his government has given assurance to India that it will ensure their safety and security after entering Nepal. He also asked India to "forget all the negativities caused by any mistake" of Nepal Government and move forward in a positive way that will be beneficial for both the countries, which have had very strong cultural and social ties.

Cyber war against India: Nepal getting support from different countries
India imposed undeclared blockade on Nepal which has led hacker hacking more than 100 Indian websites. The campaign was initiated by Nepali Hackers with slogan “Back off India” and now it has been seen that many hackers from different countries have joined them.
More than 50 hackers from Pakistan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Philippines joined saying India’s interference will not be tolerated we are with Nepal and attacked Indian websites. They have also threatened that the number will enlarge.

Nepal's forests under threat over fuel crisis
- Navin Singh Khadka/ BBC
Trucks are parked up near the Indian border with Nepal due to the blockade
Oct 8, 2015- Nepal's world-renowned community forests are under threat from a sudden rise in demand for firewood because of a fuel crisis, officials say.

A blockade on the Himalayan nation's border with India has halted imports.
Ethnic communities in the southern plain bordering India are protesting against the new constitution, saying it does not adequately represent them.
At least 40 people have died and hundreds of trucks have been stuck across the border in India.
Nepal is a landlocked country and totally reliant on India for all its fuel, food and medicine imports.
Supplies have been disrupted for over two weeks.
Conservationists say people have been left with no choice but to cut down trees for firewood despite having a tradition of protecting their forests.
"With no cooking gas and kerosene for their kitchens, the demand for firewood has suddenly jumped and our forests are under pressure," said Ganesh Karki, chairman of Federation of Community Forestry Users Nepal, an umbrella organisation of community forests across the country.
"We have received information from our different member community forests that people are now entering forests to collect firewood and in several areas trees have been chopped down."
Nepal has been a global leader in community forestry where local people become custodians of the forests and are supposed to utilise the resource sustainably.
There are more than 15,000 community forests in the country, as well as 20 national parks and protected areas.



Nepal has been a global leader in protecting its community forests

The government says community members in Rautahat, a district in southern Nepal, have seized more than 150 bicycles which were being used to illegally collect firewood.
Illegal logging
And the forestry department has also started making contingency plans if the fuel crisis does not end soon.
"We have assessed our stocks across the country and have found that we can supply firewood to the capital Kathmandu for six weeks," said Department of Forest Director General Resham Dangi.
"We have no choice but to make such a plan because people will need fuel to survive and if the supply chain does not return to normal, the government will have to do what it can."
The government will release stocks of firewood in the first phase but then look at felling trees in a second phase.
Its priority is to supply firewood to the capital Kathmandu which is home to three million residents but has no forests nearby.
Mr. Dangi confirmed that forests in other parts of the country were already coming under pressure in the wake of the fuel crisis.
He said there had been an increase in illegal logging as the authorities are unable to patrol the forest due to the fuel shortage.
"Because we have no mobility, timber smuggling has increased, mainly from the forests of Tarai near the Indian border," he said.
Conservationists were already concerned after several communities cut down trees to rebuild shelters in the aftermath of April's earthquake.
Nepal has abundant water resources which could generate hydroelectricity. However, because of its political instability, not even 1% of its hydropower potential has been tapped, leaving people increasingly dependent on fuel imports from India.



Life in Kathmandu is coming to a standstill due to the petrol shortage

The country is already crippled with severe power cuts lasting as long as 20 hours a day during the dry season when the water level in snow-fed rivers is quite low.
Nepal Oil Corporation officials say 700 tonnes of cooking gas entered Nepal from India every day before the blockade but this has now collapsed.
"Some 250 of our tankers loaded with cooking gas have been on standby at the Raxaul bordering town of India for 22 days but the Indian authorities are not releasing them," said Mukunda Ghimire, director of Nepal Oil Corporation.
"We used to import 4,500 kilolitres of petroleum products other than cooking gas from India every day and now we are getting not even five percent of that.
"At some border trading posts, the Indian side has even refused to refill our tankers."
Political dispute
India rejects this accusation and says the disrupted supplies are due to unrest on the Nepalese side of the border.
"We had repeatedly cautioned the political leadership of Nepal to take urgent steps to defuse the tension in these regions," its foreign ministry said in a statement.
"This, if done in a timely manner, could have avoided these serious developments."
As the two sides trade charges, conservationists are worried that Nepal's forest resources are becoming a casualty.
"The reputation we earned with years of hard work is at stake because of this crisis," said Mr. Karki of the Federation of Community Forests.
"And so is the future of our forests."


Apart from rising gastroenteritis cases, caused by contaminated water or spoilt food in small pockets of the city, dengue cases are steadily escalating.
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A 19-year-old Worli Naka teenager became the latest victim of dengue infection — succumbing to dengue shock syndrome at Nair hospital on October 5. (Illustration by C R Sasikumar)
A 19-year-old Worli Naka teenager became the latest victim of dengue infection — succumbing to dengue shock syndrome at Nair hospital on October 5. (Illustration by C R Sasikumar)
The changing weather has taken a toll on Mumbaikars, with viral infection at its peak this year. As many as 1,724 fever cases were reported in the first week of October alone, along with 110 gastroenteritis cases in the city, data collected from the civic health department indicated.
Apart from rising gastroenteritis cases, caused by contaminated water or spoilt food in small pockets of the city, dengue cases are steadily escalating.
A 19-year-old Worli Naka teenager became the latest victim of dengue infection — succumbing to dengue shock syndrome at Nair hospital on October 5. This is the sixth dengue death reported in the city.
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