The bilateral talk held at Fulbari Resort in Pokhara was scheduled to conclude on Saturday after taking some important decisions.
A subcommittee comprising three experts each from both sides was formed to resolve the issue after serious disputes surfaced at the beginning of the talks. The meeting was supposed to go ahead after submission of the subcommittee report.
“The meeting has been extended as we have not reached any agreement even on the agendas put forth on the first day,” said an official involved in the bilateral talks.
Secretary of the Ministry of Energy Shankar Koirala, who is leading the Nepali talks team, said the decisions will be made public on Sunday. He said that though the two sides held discussions on at least six issues, they have not reached agreement on any of them.
Implementation of the 14-year-old Mahakali Treaty and the issue of Saptakoshi High Dam and Sunkoshi Diversion Project and Pancheshwar Multipurpose Project are the major agendas to be addressed by the talks. Likewise, the issues including erosion and inundation in Tarai districts on the border were also discussed in the meeting.
Likewise, maintenance of Tanakpur Dam, Tanakpur-Mahendranagar Linkroad extension and irrigation system in Chandani Dodhara were other issues discussed during the talks.
The meeting was extended also because the officials involved in the talks went on a visit to Mustang. Secretary Koirala, Indian team leader and Water Resources Secretary Umesh Narayan Panjiyar, and Indian Ambassador Rakesh Sood, among other officials, visited the district.
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