DHANGADHI: Indian officials have pledged to cooperate with Nepal in preventing cross-border drug trafficking.
This commitment was expressed during a ‘border coordination’ meeting attended by local administration chiefs from districts bordering Nepal and India.
The meeting took place in Paliya, Lakhimpur (Khiri) District of Uttar Pradesh, India, on Saturday.
Dharmendra Kumar Mishra, the Chief District Officer of Kailali district, who participated in the meeting, stated, “The Indian side has pledged to assist in curbing drug trafficking in the border areas.”
Narcotic substances and illicit drugs are frequently smuggled into Nepali border districts such as Kailali from the Indian side due to the porous border.
Despite intensified efforts by the police to crack down on drug smuggling and abuse, the problem persists.
During the meeting, held in anticipation of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in India, the Nepali representatives urged Indian authorities to address the mistreatment of Nepalis by Indian security personnel at the border.
“I raised concerns about the mistreatment of Nepalis by Indian security personnel in border areas. The Indian side pledged to address this issue,” stated Mishra.
He further mentioned that the meeting agreed to seal the border 72 hours before the Indian election, maintain vigilance to prevent any illicit activities during the election period, and collaborate in combatting the smuggling of forest products, wildlife parts, and commercial goods.
Similarly, administration officials have committed to sharing information at the grassroots level of the police to prevent cross-border criminal activities.
The Nepali delegation included Mishra, Chief District Officer of Kanchanpur Gopal Kumar Adhikari, chiefs of Nepal Police, Armed Police Force, and National Investigation Department from both districts, and chiefs of the Kailali Customs Office and the Division Forest Office.
The Indian delegation included District Magistrate of Lakhimpur (Khiri) District Mahendra Bahadur Singh, Assistant District Magistrate, Chief of the Seema Suraksha Bal (SSB), and other officials from the border security force.
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