MAHARAJGANJ (UP): The India-Nepal border will be sealed for 72 hours before the November 20 general elections in the neighbouring country to prevent the movement of anti-social elements across the boundary, a senior official said on Saturday.
Maharajganj District Magistrate Satendra Kumar said a high-level meeting between officials of the two countries was held in the Rupandehi district of Nepal on Saturday about the election to the House of Representatives in the neighbouring nation.
"A decision to seal the border for 72 hours from November 17 till 12 midnight of November 20 was taken at the meeting of the coordination committee of officials of the neighbouring districts of the two countries," he said.
The meeting was attended by officers of the local administration, police, Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), the Army, customs, immigration and other departments concerned of both countries.
It was also decided that additional security would be maintained along the border to keep a watch on chaotic elements.
Chief District Officers of Rupandehi, Kapilvastu and West Nawalparasi of Lumbini province in Nepal, district magistrates and superintendents of police of India's Siddharthnagar and Maharajganj districts participated in the coordination meeting.
Uttar Pradesh shares a 599.3-km-long open border with Nepal touching Pilibhit, Lakhimpur Kheri, Bahraich, Sravasti, Balrampur, Sidhharthnagar and Maharajganj districts.