A bilateral meeting between security officials of Nepal and India held at Kunauli of India on Friday has agreed to immediately halt the construction of levee at Dasgaja area (no-man's land) across Tilathi of Saptari district, informed Saptari SP Bhim Prasad Dhakal.

The meeting decided to form a joint team comprising representatives from Nepal's Department of Water Induced Disaster Prevention and India's Jal Sansadhan Department to immediately make an onsite inspection of controversial area and present a report with recommendation for solution.

"The meeting decided to halt the construction of dam till the committee submits its report," said SP Dhakal.

The bilateral meeting today was attended by Chief District Officer of Saptari Baldev Gautam and DM Baijnath Yadav of Supoul district, India.

Controversial Dasgaja area under control of security personnel in Saptari

Security personnel from Nepal and India have taken under control the controversial Dasgaja area at Tilathi in Saptari district that saw a clash between Nepali and Indian nationals over the construction of a makeshift dam by Indian nationals living at the bordering region.

Indian SSB and Bihar Police have taken over the Indian side whereas Armed Police Force and Nepal Police have taken the Nepali side under control.

The security personnel have barred the locals from entering the clash site. The construction work has been halted.

Twelve people were injured on Thursday when a clash ensued after the Nepali side removed the makeshift levee that the Indian side had built allegedly encroaching no-man’s-land. The local people in Tilathi claimed the levee could inundate settlements in the Nepali territory.

The locals of bordering areas in Nepal and India hurled stones at each other. Dev Narayan Yadav, the former chairman of District Development Committee in Saptari, Roshan Kumar Jha, Harsha Karna sustained serious head injuries in the incident. The injured are undergoing treatment at Gajendra Narayan Singh Sagarmatha Zonal Hospital and other hospitals in the district, said police. Security has been strengthened on both sides of the border to prevent any untoward incidents.

The locals on the Indian side started making the levee on Wednesday after a dam was destroyed by the rain-swollen Khado stream despite protest on the Nepali side. The local administration had also requested the Indian side not to carry out the construction work.

Tilathi, Rampura Malhaniya, Sakarpura, Iharwa, Koiladi, Barsain among other VDCs in Nepal are at the risk of inundation, said Dev Narayan.