Nepal: India gulps Arun-III and Upper Karnali

http://www.telegraphnepal.com/news_det.php?news_id=2630

TGW - Who else better knows on how to fish in Nepal’s troubled waters than India, Nepal’s traditional arm twister?

Let’s call it a black day-December 30, 2007, when the caretaker interim government of Nepal under India elevated Prime Minister Shri Girija Prasad Koirala “submitted” the Arun-III and the Upper Karnali mega hydro projects to some Indian companies.

The Koirala cabinet made a hasty decision to award this contract to the Indian company this Sunday to which it is not authorized.

A care taker government in the transitional period and that too an unstable one can in no way decide the fate of such mega projects to be handed over to the Indian companies.

However, the Nepal government under the direct instructions of Koirala allowed India to “gulp” the Arun-III and the Upper Karnali projects almost at a dirt cheap price.

This decision has been taken at a time when the Natural Resource Parliamentary committee had warned the government not to act in haste.

However, close on the heels of the RAW-Research Analysis Wing Chief, Mr. Chaturvedi’s departure from his four day secret trip to Kathmandu, this Himalayan decision has been taken.

Sources in the Water Resources ministry say that the government under Koirala must have amassed colossal amount of wealth out of this, what is being termed as an “anti-national deal”.

The lucky Indian company that bagged this award through back door channel is GMR Energy Limited.

“If India is in the neighborhood, one doesn’t need enemy”, claim analysts.

The RAW Chief met Koirala twice during his four days stint here, reports claim.
[With strong inputs from Drithi Vernacular Weekly, 1 January, 08]