KATHMANDU, Aug 17: Nepal and India have agreed to measure and survey land in the border areas that is currently being occupied and used by citizens of each other’s countries.
The agreement was reached at the Nepal-India border meeting held in Lucknow, India, according to sources at the Department of Survey (DoS). Earlier, Prime Minister Balendra Shah had told Parliament that not only India had encroached on Nepali land, but Nepal had also encroached on Indian land. His statement sparked considerable controversy. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) later issued a statement providing further clarification on the matter. The MoFA clarified that the prime minister’s statement was related to “cross-border occupation.” The Lucknow meeting agreed to conduct a survey and measurement of such cross-border occupation.
According to the sources, the meeting agreed that Nepal and India would use advanced technology to survey and measure land in the border areas that is being occupied and used by citizens of the other country. They also agreed to prepare a report within three years and submit it to their respective governments.
PM Shah's border comments referred to cross-border occupation:...
A joint meeting of the Survey Officials Committee (SOC), a committee dealing with survey-related matters, was held in Lucknow. The Nepali delegation at the meeting was led by the deputy director general of the DoS.
While demarcating the Nepal-India border, the two countries have adopted the Fixed Boundary Principle in areas where rivers form the boundary. As a result, “cross-border occupation” has occurred, with citizens of one country cultivating land and residing in areas that fall within the territory of the other country.
In 2045 BS, a joint working group of Nepal and India had agreed to carry out scientific measurements based on the locations of rivers and streams at the time of the Sugauli Treaty. According to a DoS official, 57 rivers and streams have been used as boundaries in the border areas under the Fixed Boundary Principle. However, as those rivers and streams changed their courses after the Sugauli Treaty, land occupied on one side came to fall on the other side, and vice versa. This is why the situation is referred to as cross-border occupation, the official said.
Dozens of the boundary pillars installed after the Sugauli Treaty have been destroyed, while some have been damaged or are missing. According to the department, installing boundary pillars in the area above Brahmadev Mandi market along the Mahakali River and in the high-altitude areas of Taplejung is particularly difficult because of the challenging geographical terrain.
The Nepal-India border is 1,880 kilometers long, although the length is greater when Lipulekh and Limpiyadhura are also included. There are currently 5,785 boundary pillars along the Nepal-India border. A total of 8,553 pillars are required to be installed along the border. According to the DoS, 2,768 boundary pillars have yet to be installed
