Illegal encroachments cleared along India-Nepal border in Bihar

Patna: An intensive drive to remove illegal encroachments from the India-Nepal border belt has yielded major results across Bihar’s frontier districts with district administrations reporting large-scale demolition of unlawful structures in ‘No Man’s Land’ and within 15km of the international boundary as part of a broader push to strengthen border management and security.

The progress report was presented during a review meeting chaired by chief secretary Pratyaya Amrit, where district magistrates of East Champaran, West Champaran, Madhubani, Sitamarhi, Kishanganj, Supaul and Araria shared updates on border security and development works.

According to the presentations, Madhubani has removed all 186 identified illegal structures, while Kishanganj cleared all 34 identified encroachments over the past one month. In West Champaran, 261 of 272 encroachments have been removed, with coordination underway with Nepali authorities regarding the remaining cases.

The review also highlighted progress in crime control and action against Fake Indian Currency Notes. In East Champaran, 10 accused were recently arrested and counterfeit currency with a face value of Rs 18,500 in Indian notes and Rs 25 lakh in Nepali notes was seized. In Sitamarhi, authorities recovered Rs 49 lakh in Nepali counterfeit notes and Rs 20,100 in Indian counterfeit notes.

In cyber crime enforcement, the Sitamarhi administration facilitated refunds of more than Rs 11.66 lakh in Jan. In Madhubani and Araria, inter-state gangs involved in preparing fake identity cards and Aadhaar cards were busted, leading to multiple arrests.

Border pillar maintenance and verification are being carried out through modern technology and joint surveys. Regular monitoring is underway for 1,237 pillars in East Champaran and 358 pillars in Madhubani. In Kishanganj and Sitamarhi, the field survey team is taking action to repair damaged or missing pillars. In Supaul, repair work on all damaged pillars has been completed.

In the meeting, it was informed that the security agencies are maintaining surveillance against illegal infiltration by foreign nationals and arrests have been made involving citizens from Uzbekistan, Bangladesh, China and America.

On the development front, hundreds of villages in the border region have been selected under the Vibrant Village Programme-II. In Madhubani, detailed project reports are being prepared for 253 development schemes covering 36 villages, while 250 more villages have been added by the Government of India. In Sitamarhi, modern facilities including digital libraries and model agri farms are being developed in four blocks at a cost of Rs 24 crore. In Kishanganj, Rs 112 crore has been allocated under the programme.

The review further noted that agriculture and horticulture-based economic activities are being promoted in border districts with special focus on processing of dragon fruit, pineapple and tea.