Nepali and Indian home secretaries will discuss the problematic issue of identifying children for air travel between the two countries later this year.

For the first time in October last year, the two South Asian states introduced mandatory identification papers for air passengers flying between the two countries, some travel trade circles say the move has adversely affected Indian tourist arrivals in Nepal.

“I hope that when the two home secretaries meet in the coming days they will be able to come to some kind of an arrangement about this problem. I think, and what I have been able to gather since these regulations came into force last October, that it may have had some effect. Particularly this is a disadvantage when it comes to young children who obviously do not have voter identity cards and who in many cases do not  have passports. So it is a problem there,” Indian Ambassador Deb Mukharki told the Nepal Travel Trade Reporter in its latest issue.

For the first time in recent memory, Indian arrivals tumbled by 72 percent in June after the royal palace carnage on the first day of the month. The Indian envoy defended the questionable coverage of the event by the Indian media, especially electronic. “Well, I think it is possible the

Indian media could be more sensitive at times. But I don’t think  we should run away  from one basic fact, that what the Indian media reports, is essentially based on facts,” Mukharji said in response to a question.

People arrested in India for alleged terrorist activities have confessed to their links in Nepal, he said. “I mean a lot of people people who are arrested in India for carrying out terrorist activities have informed on interrogation that their controls are in Kathmandu. So all this, I think adds up and all I can say as a friend of Nepal and as a well-wisher is that I hope there will be no occasion or fewer occasions for the Indian media to be able to comment on these negative factors.” he said.