Kathmandu, 31 Aug : Nepal and the US signed an agreement for the implementation of America’s Millennium Challenge Compact (UCC), despite opposition by the leftists and turbulence in the ruling alliance.
Nepal’s Finance Minister Dr Prakash Sharan Mahant and the US representative MCC Vice-president Cameroon Alford signed the agreement, which would open construction work for electric transmission of about 315 Km near the Indian border in West Nepal. The US is giving $500 million. With the signing of the contract, the process of acquisition of land would begin. The project is scheduled to be completed within five years.
While the contract was being signed, Samajwadi Party members led by Madhav Nepal staged a protest to it. The party is a member of the ruling coalition. A faction of the Communist Party (Mao) also opposed the contract. Its leader Dev Gurung said that the US maintained silence over issues relating to MCC during discussions on MCC in the Parliament.
Many small groups of leftist parties also opposed the MCC. The parties have alleged that the US is trying to use Nepal’s land to challenge China and India. The project is a part of the Indo-Pacific Strategy, said Netra Vikram Chandra Viplav and Mohan Vaidya Kiran.
