Bihar: Watch tower construction sparks India-Nepal border row

Days after Nepal soldiers opened fire at a crowd killing an Indian national, the construction of watchtower at India-Nepal border has fuelled the on-going crisis. Sources said that Nepal took this step after China pressurised Nepal to keep an eye on all the activities on the border.

Patna: Amid the tensions between India and Nepal relations, the later has constructed a watch tower at the Indian border in Panthoka village, sparking a new controversy. Built-in adjacent to Minor Pillar to create an elevated observation point, the border outpost is believed to have been set up after China pushed Nepal to increase monitoring on the border, to keep a vigil on all the activities.

Locals of Panthoka village

Reports reveal that the watch tower is built between Pillar No. 392/13 to 392/18, a move which comes after China occupied a village of Nepal and allegedly removed its boundary pillars and made inroads into several Nepalese territories to have complete control over the region.

However, Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) officials deployed at the border revealed that minor pillar, which is constructed between the main and the supporting pillar for demarcation on the border, is missing.

Nepal's camp set in Panthoka village

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Interestingly, unlike the SSB soldiers, locals said that this tower has been built in areas surrounding the Indian border, amid the bushes behind Nepal's watch tower making the newly-constructed structure invisible.

Border of Panthoka village

Earlier, Nitish Kumar-led government had raised apprehensions over Nepal obstructing repair work on Gandak Barrage, international major project involving and benefiting Bihar and Uttar Pradesh in India and Terai area of Nepal. Both the countries share 18 gates of the barrage.

India-Nepal border

Sources in the Bihar government alleged that Nepal is stalling India to complete repair work of embankment of Lalbakeya river on the Nepal side.