Nepal, India agree to tighten border checks, expand surveillance

Nepal and India have agreed to tighten security checks, increase coordinated border patrols and strengthen information sharing to prevent cross-border crimes along their shared border. The agreement was reached at the three-day 10th Nepal-India Coordination Meeting between the Armed Police Force (APF) Nepal and India's Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), which concluded in Kathmandu.

According to a statement issued by the APF, both sides agreed to strengthen cooperation at the strategic, operational and field levels to control illegal activities including the unauthorised movement of third-country nationals through the open border.

The two security agencies agreed to tighten document verification and security checks at border checkpoints, conduct coordinated patrols in the No-Man's Land and promptly exchange information about suspicious individuals. They also agreed to continue joint efforts to remove unauthorised farming, encroachments and illegal structures from the border strip. Both sides will strengthen field-level coordination for the maintenance, repair and reconstruction of boundary pillars in line with decisions of the Boundary Working Group (BWG) and the Survey Officials Committee (SOC).

The meeting also discussed introducing modern technology to improve border surveillance, including CCTV cameras to monitor the No-Man's Land, luggage scanners and walk-through metal detectors at major checkpoints and greater use of drones in their respective territories.

Also read: 'They feel happy when India faces difficulties': PM Modi's dig at opposition

The APF said both sides recognised the role of timely information sharing in tackling cross-border crimes such as smuggling, human trafficking, counterfeit currency circulation and drug trafficking. They agreed to continue and strengthen these efforts.

The two countries also agreed to strengthen institutional cooperation to address security and social harmony challenges arising from the misuse of social media and the spread of misinformation. The meeting further discussed specialised training and regular study visits to strengthen cooperation between the two security forces.

On disaster preparedness, the two sides discussed organising a joint swift-water rescue exercise at the APF's Disaster Management Training School in Chitwan to improve their response to floods, landslides and earthquakes.

They also agreed to expand help desks at border checkpoints to facilitate legitimate travellers and organise joint sporting and cultural programmes to promote bilateral goodwill.

The meeting was led by APF Inspector General Narayan Dutta Poudel and SSB Director General Sanjay Singhal. It reviewed progress made since the ninth coordination meeting and appreciated the cooperation between the two forces in maintaining security along the shared border. The bilateral coordination meeting has been held alternately in Nepal and India since 2012. The next meeting will take place in India next year.