A joint team of security personnel from the Armed Police Force (APF) and the Indian Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) started a campaign to clear no-man’s land area along the Nepal-Indian border in Sunsari and Morang districts.

In the last three days, the APF personnel have cleared a dozen houses and huts that were built on a no-man’s land along the Nepali side of the border whereas the Indian SSB men evicted eight houses and huts from the Indian side and destroyed vegetables and bananas planted in around one kathha and 10 dhurs of land.

The security personnel from APF and SSB have evicted encroachers who were living in between border pillar number 185/PP 74 (main) to border pillar number 184 (main) that fall under Barju Rural Municipality in Sunsari and Sonapur Araria in Bihar, India.

Krishna Dhakal, superintendent of police of APF in Sunsari, said that they started the drive after finding out that locals living on both sides of the border areas had encroached upon the no-man’s land. He said, “Officials of both countries (Nepal and India) had decided to evict encroachers from the no-man’s land. We are working as per the decision.”

According to Dhakal, APF and SSB men have evicted encroachers from 15 places of Barju Ward No. 4. He said, “In some areas, we have given an ultimatum of seven days to the locals to leave the no-man’s land. The no-man’s land area is the international borderline and is a sensitive area.”

Locals have constructed huts and cultivated crops including vegetables along the no-man’s land area. According to him, 23 border pillars are missing in Sunsari district.