KATHMANDU: Two days after establishing a Border Out Post (BOP) of the Armed Police Force (APF) at Chhangru of Darchula, Nepal Army (NA) has started inspecting the region.

A team of the NA under the command of Colonel Jyotindra Mahat has reached the Chhangru area to get details of the area.

The issue of Kalapani flared up late last year after India released a new political map in line with the Narendra Modi government’s decision to repeal the autonomous status of Jammu and Kashmir. The new map includes Kalapani, which Nepal claims as its territory, within Indian borders.

The team had first gone to Nepalgunj via NA’s sky truck and later to Darchula in a small NA chopper.

As the poor visibility disrupted the plan, NA team flew to Kalapani area in MI-17 chopper.

According to Brigadier General Bigyan Dev Pandey, NA is going to construct trails to reach Chhangru.

After India opened the trade link route with China encroaching Nepal’s land at Kalapani, Lipu Lekh area, the government has recently established a BOP at Chhangru.

The team lead by Maj. Jyotindra Mahat of Operation Department consists of Major Dr. Ajaya Raj Bhandari and an NA engineer as well.

According to the sources, NA team has collected information about the status of the inhabitants around Chhangru. When the Darchula-Tinker section of the road was widely criticized for the snail-pace, the government had handed over the construction task to NA on April 26.

After wide criticism, the Nepal government handed over the 87 km road to Nepal Army. NA is planning to intensify the construction task so as to compensate the slackness of the former party.