India, Nepal to drone-map 'Dasgaja' encroachments after Balen remark row
In a significant move towards resolving land disputes, India and Nepal will utilize drones to meticulously map border encroachments in the Dasgaja regions. This collaborative effort will provide a verified technical account of disputed areas, facilitating future discussions on land restoration and compensation. By addressing cross-border land occupation, the initiative aims to mitigate…
India and Nepal have agreed to employ drones to map encroachments along the 10-yard no-man’s strip known as the Dasgaja area, situated along their international border. This decision was made during the 13th meeting of the Survey Officials Committee, which was presided over by the deputy chiefs from both nations’ Survey Department and Survey of India in Lucknow last week.
The primary objective of this exercise is to produce a jointly verified technical record of the affected regions, which could subsequently facilitate negotiations between the two countries regarding the removal of encroachments, restoration of land, or compensation.
The controversy surrounding this issue resurfaced recently when Nepal's Prime Minister, Balendra Shah, made a statement in Parliament in May claiming that Nepal had encroached on Indian land. This remark, prompted by questions regarding the disputed territories of Limpiyadhura, Lipulekh, and Kalapani, instigated protests from the opposition. Nevertheless, Nepal's foreign ministry later clarified that Shah was referring to the Dasgaja encroachments and cross-border occupation, and not to territorial claims.
According to Dayanand Joshi, a spokesperson for the Nepal Survey Department, the decision was taken to map cross-border occupation utilizing drones, which encompasses both cross-border occupation and encroachment of Dasgaja. Buddhi Narayan Shrestha, a former director general of the Survey Department and a border expert, expressed his belief that this decision could assist in resolving disputes that have persisted for decades.
He pointed out that Indian farmers have encroached on Nepali farmland at 84 locations, while Nepali farmers have encroached on Indian farmland at 27 locations. Shrestha emphasized that such disputes arise when boundary pillars are absent or incorrect due to local land use errors. He also noted that such discrepancies occur in areas where boundary pillars have not been installed, making drone mapping a crucial measure to prevent village-level disputes from escalating into diplomatic conflicts.
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