Nepal to shut India’s field office: Oli

Kathmandu, May 20

Nepal will close the Indian Embassy’s field office in the near future as it has “outlived its purpose”, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has said.

India was permitted to set up the temporary field office in 2008 to issue passes to vehicles for plying on Indian roads in the bordering regions after the Koshi floods damaged a 17-km stretch of the east-west highway. Initially set up in the eastern Sunsari district, the office was later shifted to the nearby Biratnagar city, about 375 km from here, along the Koshi Highway.

Speaking at the first parliamentary party meeting of the newly formed Nepal Communist Party here, party’s co-chairman Oli said the office would be removed as it had “outlived its purpose”.

After repair of the damaged portion of the highway, Nepal had asked India to shut down the camp office but the Indian side did not comply. — PTI