Controversy over signboard on Charchum bridge resolved between India-Nepal
Controversy over signboard on Charchum bridge resolved between India-Nepal
B.D.Kasniyal
Pithoragarh, Sept 10:
The controversy over the naming of the Nepalese side of the first motor bridge on the Indo-Nepal border over the Kali River at Charchum, near Dharchula, has been resolved, with the Indian side agreeing that the signboard on the Nepalese side should carry the name of the adjoining Nepalese area instead of the name of the Indian side, which had been mentioned incorrectly, said Ashish Joshi, SDM, Dharchula.
“The controversy arose after the construction agency mistakenly mentioned the name of the Indian side, Charchum, on the signboards on both sides of the bridge, leading to complaints from Nepal. We have directed the construction agency to rewrite the signboard on the Nepalese side with the name of the place adjoining that side of the bridge,” the SDM said.
The Nepalese administration had covered the signboard on its side of the bridge following public resentment over the issue in Nepal.
The 110-metre-long bridge, the first motor bridge on the Indo-Nepal border in Pithoragarh district and the second in Uttarakhand after the Banbasa bridge in Champawat district, has been completed and is awaiting inauguration.
“The minor work of linking the road on the Nepalese side to the bridge is likely to be completed soon. After that, the process for inaugurating the bridge will begin in consultation with the governments of India and Nepal,” Joshi said.
