Nepal to Send New Map to India, UN And International Agencies

Nepal had published a new political map asserting its claim over the Kalapani region.

Nepal has published a new political map asserting its claim over the Kalapani region.

(Photo: The Quint)

Two months after the Nepal parliament passed a controversial new map showing three Indian regions in Nepali territory, the government plans to send its recently revised map to India, the United Nations (UN), Google and other international organisations by mid-August, a minister has said.

"We will be sending the updated map including Kalapani, Lipulekh and Limpiyadhura to various UN agencies and the international community including India. The process will be completed by the middle of this month," Padma Aryal, Minister for Land Management, Cooperatives and Poverty Alleviation told ANI.

The Department of Measurement has distributed over 25,000 copies of the latest version of the map in the country and plans to print 4,000 copies to send to the international community.

The three regions fall in the Uttarakhand state. India has protested this move saying that Nepal's unilateral action is "not based on historical facts and evidence." The UN website will, however, not show territories and areas claimed by Nepal as Nepali territories as the agency prints its own maps with a disclaimer.

It does not use either India’s, Pakistan's, or China’s maps, or any territory that is claimed but goes by its administration largely.

Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Anurag Srivastava had pointed out, "It is contrary to the bilateral understanding to resolve the outstanding boundary issues through diplomatic dialogue. Such artificial enlargement of territorial claims will not be accepted by India."

The bilateral ties between the two governments have gone downhill ever since the news of the revised map has been out.