Newly inaugurated road connecting Lipulekh pass with U'khand's Dharchula lies within India: MEA

Don't want to miss the best from Business Standard?

A newly constructed road connecting the Lipulekh pass with Dharchula in Uttarakhand lies completely within the territory of India, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Saturday rejecting objections to it by Nepal.

The 80-km-long strategically crucial road at a height of 17,000 feet along the border with China in Uttarakhand was thrown open by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday.

Nepal on Saturday raised objection to inauguration of the road, saying the "unilateral act" was against the understanding reached between the two countries on resolving the border issues.

"The recently inaugurated road section in Pithoragarh district in the state of Uttarakhand lies completely within the territory of India. The road follows the pre-existing route used by the pilgrims of the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra," MEA spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said.

He was replying to questions on sharp reaction by Nepal on the issue.

"Under the present project, the same road has been made pliable for the ease and convenience of pilgrims, locals and traders. India and Nepal have established mechanism to deal with all boundary matters," Srivastava said.

He said the boundary delineation exercise with Nepal is going on and India is committed to resolve outstanding issues with the neighbouring country through diplomatic dialogue and in the spirit of close and friendly ties.

Raising objection on the construction of the link road, Nepal's Foreign Ministry said, "This unilateral act runs against the understanding reached between the two countries including at the level of the prime ministers that a solution to boundary issues would be sought through negotiation."