A rare three train-smash up had caused the death of 294 passengers. Indian Railways have currently embarked on a major new restructuring/ rescheduling of existing services, along with equipment upgradation and improved technology, on Odisha and neighbouring states. The objective is to provide better safety and more speed in the future movement of passenger and freight movements. Estimated(unofficial) expenses: around Rs 250 crore.

Railway movement between Vizag and Kolkata ports in India and destinations in Nepal have been affected in consequence.

Nepalese Ministry circles have requested Indian authorities to take urgent steps to ensure that goods, especially those with a short shelf life, are delivered regularly on time, following bilaterally worked out arrangements.

Kolkata-based Railway officials confirming the complaint said that some steps had already been taken to address Nepal’s grievances. The execution of the major new upgradation work without totally upsetting existing arrangements, was something of a challenge for the Railways. The complexities of the situation had been explained to Nepalese authorities.

Post accident, Union Minister Mr Aswini Vaishnaw had spent a few days at the site and nearby areas for several days. Along with senior officials he had discussed ways to improve existing traffic arrangements particularly highlighting the need for (a) greater safety for passengers/ goods traffic as well as (b) to ensure more speed.

However, completion of the ongoing exercise, could well stretch into the medium term, involving occasional delays , along with a temporary re-scheduling of movements , by way of teething troubles.

According to Railways officials, there had followed ‘some marginal improvements already’ and priority of movement for Nepal –bound goods had been maintained to the extent possible. But there would be major relief for all concerned once all the proposed changes were in place.

Unavoidable as such delays were in the India-Nepal bilateral trade, these could not have come at a worse time, for the NDA Government. The fallout from such transportation glitches could prove to be more negative diplomatically rather than in terms of attendant economic losses.

It may be recalled that the recent acceleration in the implementation of bilaterally important infrastructural projects, seeking better connectivity, was an effective means to improving strained relations between India and Nepal in recent times, over a variety of issues.

The problem goes back at least to 2015, the year when Madhesias(People of Indian origin) in Nepal agitated against certain provisions of the new Constitution adopted in Nepal. There followed protest and mass arrests in Nepal, followed by an economic blockade organised by the Madhesias at the Indo-Nepal border. This continued for a time and disrupted the regular supply of essential goods and other items from India.

The impact was disastrous for the landlocked Himalayan country, as the administration faced an acute shortage of items ,a major price increase as well as incidents of hoarding , not to mention public anger, etc. The then Nepal Government turned to China for securing essential supplies and the bigger country obliged. It also encouraged Nepal to use Chinese ports instead of Indian facilities in Kolkata and Vizag to maintain and develop Nepal’s trade ties with the world.

It needs stressing that the ruling NDA government’s apparently rigid attitude in not helping to end the blockade, also offended the Nepalese.

Shortly afterwards, then Prime Minister Mr K.P.S.Oli adopted a strongly assertive stance towards India while referring to pending border issues between the two countries. Nepal claimed northern parts of the Uttarakhand state, with which it shared the International boundary, as part of its own territory. Controversy and official bickering about official maps etc broke out. There were suggestions that Kathmandu had been egged on by Beijing authorities to adopt a stronger anti-India line.

There were also fierce debates over which country was the origin of Buddhism as a religion, or the birthplace of Sita, worshipped as a goddess by millions of people in both countries.

However, on the diplomatic front, the situation has improved.. The recent India visit by Prime Minister Pushpa Kumar Dahal (Prachanda) also helped substantially. Several infra related projects were finalised, including a trilateral project that would enable Nepal to sell its hydropower to Bangladesh using Indian territory and transmission facilities. The two countries also agreed to build a 50 kilometre long oil pipeline linking Siliguri with Jhapa, Nepal.

At this juncture, unforeseen delays as pointed out by Nepal authorities, could act as a spanner in the works in the progress of bilateral trade as well as regional economic development. As Nepal-based reports suggest, the delivery time between Vizag port and Nepal areas had increased from 3 or 4 days days to 25 ! …. While for Kolkata, the time taken for delivery to Birgunj, Nepal had increased from 3 days to a week , in the wake of the Odisha rail accident. In normal times, Kolkata port authorities maintain a dock exclusively for use by Nepal businessmen, as well as adhere to a schedule that reserves a broad gauge track again for Nepal-bound traffic only.

But the present slowdown had played havoc with production delivery and export /import schedules for Nepalese business and industry, still reeling from long term impact in the post Covid Pandemic situation. After June 2, there were reports that Nepal bound wagons were held up for days together and subjected to checks at almost every station along the way! At one stage, there had been no movement reported for about two weeks in June this year.

Even desperate pleadings from Nepal authorities went unheeded in Delhi! According to information from unofficial sources reaching Kathmandu, Indian railway authorities had their own problems with local agencies they had worked with in ensuring the movement of wagons from Indian ports to the Nepal border. (IPA Service)