Kathmandu, June 4
Nepal and China are likely to sign an agreement to carry out a feasibility study for the construction of a railway connecting Nepal’s capital, Kathmandu, with the Nepal-Tiber border point in Rasuwagadhi, near Kyirong.
Nepal’s Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli is scheduled to embark on a state visit to the northern neighbour on June 19 and the agreement will be signed during his visit, according to a source.
It is sure that crossborder railway will be a top agenda during bilateral meetings as Oli has been talking about the project since a long time ago.
However, it has not been certain whether the project will be implemented. Currently, a Chinese technical team is in Kathmandu to conduct a pre-feasibility study for the Kyirong-Kathmandu-Pokhara-Lumbini railway. If the study yields a positive result, the process to prepare the detailed project report will begin.
Now, the two countries will not sign any other agreement about the project except the one for feasibility study as the result of pre-feasibility study has not come out.
“It is speculated that Chinese President Xi Jinping will visit Nepal after Oli’s visit. By then, the report of pre-feasibility study will come out,” a source privy to recent discussions say, “If the report is positive, agreements for the DPR and construction will be made during Xi’s visit.”
