Upping its ante against India, the Nepal government is preparing to send the newly updated map, which includes Kalapani, Lipulekh and Limpiyadhura as its integral part, to the United Nations and Google, Nepali media reported on Saturday

On June 13, Nepal's parliament passed the amendment to include the new political map featuring areas of Lipulekh, Kalapani and Limpiyadhura in its Constitution.

Nepal's Parliament voted on the map laying claim over the strategically key areas of Lipulekh, Kalapani and Limpiyadhura along the border with India, notwithstanding a strong protest by New Delhi. India has been maintaining that these three areas belong to it.

As per the local media reports, the KP Sharma Oli-led Nepal government is making the "necessary preparations" to publish the map in English and send it to the international community, including the United Nations Organisation (UNO) and Google.

“We are soon delivering the revised map incorporating Kalapani, Lipu Lekh and Limpiyadhura to the international community,” Nepali media quoted Minister for Land Management, Padma Aryal, as saying.

Padma Aryal also said that the Nepal government is also preparing to publish a book including the "encroached territories" of Kalapani, Lipu Lekh and Limpiyadhura, adding that the first priority, however, is to print the English version of the updated map and distribute it to the international community.

India-Nepal Bilateral Ties Under Strain

The India-Nepal bilateral ties came under strain after Defence Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated an 80-km-long strategically crucial road connecting the Lipulekh pass with Dharchula in Uttarakhand on May 8.

Nepal reacted sharply to the inauguration of the road claiming that it passed through Nepalese territory. India rejected the claim asserting that the road lies completely within its territory.

The Lipulekh pass is a far western point near Kalapani, a disputed border area between Nepal and India. Both India and Nepal claim Kalapani as an integral part of their territory - India as part of Uttarakhand's Pithoragarh district and Nepal as part of Dharchula district.

India sternly asked Nepal not to resort to any "artificial enlargement" of territorial claims after Kathmandu released the new map.

Nepal's Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli had said that his government will seek a solution to the Kalapani issue through diplomatic efforts and dialogue on the basis of historical facts and documents.

KP Sharma Oli claimed that India built a Kali temple, created "an artificial Kali river" and "encroached the Nepalese territory through deploying the Army" at Kalapani. The river defines the border between the two countries.

Meanwhile, Nepal’s Foreign Minister Pradeep Gyawali on Friday insisted that the dialogue between the two nations begin as soon as possible.

The minister addressed the issue and called New Delhi to start negotiations on Kalapani-Lipulekh-Limpiyadhura as soon as possible to resolve the “unresolved questions left by history”.

“We are still requesting India to start negotiations at the earliest so that the problems would not go to the streets,” he said.

“Formal diplomatic engagement [on the issue] is extremely critical,” he added.