Centre urges Nepal to remove encroachment from border

The issues of encroachment were discussed during the 12th meeting of the India-Nepal JWG on June 15 and 16 and decisions taken during the last meeting were reviewed.

NEW DELHI: Union Home Ministry have urged their Nepalese counterparts, during a meeting of the Joint Working Group (JWG) on border management last week, to remove encroachments on ‘no man’s land’, especially in Uttarakhand’s Champawat district on the India-Nepal border.

The issues of encroachment were discussed during the 12th meeting of the India-Nepal JWG on June 15 and 16 and decisions taken during the last meeting were reviewed. While officials from both the sides agreed on the need for clearing encroachment of ‘no man’s land’ and take action over missing and damaged pillars with priority, sources said that the Indian delegation wanted urgent removal of some of the permanent structures, including a culvert, at Brahmdev in Nepal’s Kanchanpur district.

Last year, Indian Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) personnel and Champawat district officials urged the Nepalese officials to remove the encroachments so that “status quo” was maintained. But officials said that barring some temporary structures none of the permanent structures were removed yet. The issue regarding damaged or missing border pillars is still running behind schedule, which was supposed to start in 2019.