December 11, 1977, Forty Years Ago: India-Nepal Meet

Front page of The Indian Express on December 11, 1977.

The Indo-Nepal summit talks in Kathmandu ended on a positive note. Agreement is understood to have been reached to finalise, apart from two separate treaties for trade and transit, a third agreement that would put an end to goods meant for Nepal from third countries reaching India. Accord is also believed to have been reached on river projects and interlinking their execution. But the Indian side has shown no inclination to accept the proposal for declaring Nepal a zone of peace which the Nepalese side has been persistently raising during the talks. Both Morarji Desai and Atal Bihari Vajpayee have patiently explained to the Nepalese representatives that the Indian attitude stems from the fact that New Delhi wants not only Nepal but the entire region to be a zone of peace and friendship. The Nepalese side as well as the Indian delegation appears to be highly satisfied with the Prime Minister’s visit. Desai told the The Indian Express: “It could not have been better.”

Airline Crew Held

G. Meritthis, a crew member of the Alitalia Airlines, was detained at Delhi Airport for trying to smuggle gold and wrist watches valued at Rs 7 lakh. Meritthis, a smart-looking Italian, had neatly tied gold biscuits weighing 8.5 kilos underneath his large-size woollen stockings. One hundred and ninety-three gold watches, including several electronic ones, were hidden in the false bottom of the small suitcase.

Shah Commission

Justice J.C. Shah and some members of his commission visited the notorious Dujana House Family Planning Centre in the Jama Masjid area as well as the resettlement colonies of Khichripur, Kalyanpuri, and Jehangirpuri. The visit by the Commission was to collect data related to the Turkman Gate firing case which will be taken up for public inquiry. Justice Shah interrogated numerous persons during his visit.