Tension with Nepal worries residents of border districts

PATNA: The situation along India-Nepal border in Bihar is getting murkier day by day and posing potential threat to the age-old cultural and ‘beti-roti’ relationship between the citizens of the two neighbouring countries.
In a fresh jolt to the cordial relationship, the officials of Nepal government prevented the Indian authorities from carrying out the repair and anti-erosion work on the embankment of Lalbakeya river under Dhaka subdivision in East Champaran district.The anti-erosion and repair work is carried out every year, but Nepal has raised objections for the first time.
The development assumed significance in the wake of a new political map approved by the Nepal parliament, claiming territorial command over key areas of Lipulekh, Limpiyadhura and Kalapani in Uttarakhand. On June 12, one Vikesh Rai, an Indian national, was killed and two others were injured in the firing by the Armed Police Force (APF) of Nepal under Sonbara block in Sitamarhi district.
The family members of Vikesh are waiting for compensation from the government. “The matter has been referred to the Union government as it involves two nations,” a police officer said.
“The police officers in border districts have been instructed to keep a close surveillance on the movement of people from across the border. The lapses on the part of the officers concerned will not be tolerated,” said IG (Tirhut range) Ganesh Kumar.
The police stations close to the border have been asked to send reports to the SP daily.
The growing tension has made residents and members of the business community worried. One Ram Mandal of Sikti village in Katihar district said, “Fear has gripped the local residents, who earlier frequently crossed the border for agricultural and business purposes.”
Bibi Jahan Ara, a former panchayat samiti member of Amona under Jogbani police station, said, “My husband, who lives with me here, owns over 50 acres of ancestral land in Nepal. But he doesn’t want to go to his farmhouse due to fear of an untoward incident.”
Parasnath Roy of Jogbani, who has his business in Nepal, said, “We have been caught in a catch-22 situation. We live in India but have been doing business in Nepal. People have stopped going to Nepal in the wake of border tension. We have incurred a huge financial loss. Uncertainty has gripped.”
The situation in Kishanganj and Madhubani districts is no better.