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Following is the excerpt from the national daily
newspaper of Nepal. I guess this will be informative for the International
Boundaries folk. Thank you.
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Kathmandu, July 8: Former Director General of the Land Survey Department and border expert, Buddhi Narayan Shrestha, today said Nepal and India must agree on a “controlled border system” to effectively regulate the open border between them. “The 1,808-km long open border between the two countries can be effectively monitored provided Nepal and India agree on issuing ID cards to their respective people for travelling across and back,” Shrestha said at a programme organised by the Management Association of Nepal. Shrestha said provision of ID cards to people of both countries while travelling would be effective in management of the open border and control cross-border crimes and terrorism. Both the countries, however, have already agreed on issuing ID cards to their people travelling by air shortly after the hijacking of an Indian Airlines — IC 814 — on December 24, 1999, from Kathmandu. “Canada and USA have also introduced ID cards for their citizens travelling back and forth between the two countries. A similar system can be more practical than other mechanisms for regulating the border,” he said. “The recent influx of terrorists in both countries and growing criminal incidents across the border have compelled both countries to move towards a controlled-border system,” said Shrestha. He added Nepal and India are yet to finish demarcation along the border located north of Thalelung in the east and north of Brahmadev Mandi in the west, although border demarcation between the two countries began in 1816. Despite close mutual relations, he said, Nepal and India have not been able to settle border disputes at 54 places, including the Kalapani area and the issue of identification of the origin of the Mahakali River. He said India is occupying Nepal’s 37,840 hectares of land in the Kalapani area after the Indo-China border war broke in 1962. During his official visit to Nepal in 1997, then Indian PM IK Gujral had assured that India would return the land to Nepal if a joint technical team came up with evidence. “Border disputes with India have remained unresolved for a long time whereas Nepal and China have managed to resolve their disputes at 32 places in less than three years of the signing of the border protocol during 1960,” Shrestha said. Nepal shares 1,808-km and 1,414-km border with India and China, respectively. |