Photo: Nepal Samacharpatra

Kathmandu, December 23: The government has shown extreme negligence in the protection and maintenance of border pillars, which are directly linked to the country’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, and national security and are considered highly sensitive.

There are a total of 8,553 border pillars along the border with India, while on the Chinese side there are 79 main pillars and 20 subsidiary pillars. In both border areas combined, 4,388 border pillars require repair, and some need reconstruction, reports Nepal Samacharpatra.

Border experts say that the government’s long-standing failure to pay attention to the repair of these dilapidated border pillars has given rise to serious concerns.

Border expert Buddhi Narayan Shrestha has commented that it is unfortunate for the nation that work has not been carried out to renovate dilapidated border pillars and to reconstruct lost or vanished pillars at their original locations based on official records. He pointed out that border-related work with India has not progressed for the past five years, and with China since June 2012, adding, “Neglect in border-related work is adversely affecting the country’s territorial integrity. The government must address this immediately.”

The Survey Department has also acknowledged that no work has been carried out on border pillars on the Indian side since fiscal year 2076/077 (2019/20) and on the Chinese side since 2062 (2005/06), stating that border-related activities with China came to a halt after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Due to the long-term lack of proper protection, regular monitoring, and maintenance, many border pillars have collapsed, gone missing, or been damaged. In some places, border pillars have been completely destroyed due to natural disasters such as floods, landslides, and river erosion, the department said.

In some locations, there is also a risk of encroachment. Local residents in border areas have complained that dilapidated border pillars have led to increasing border disputes, confusion over land ownership, and security-related problems.

According to departmental data, up to fiscal year 2066/067 (2009/10), there were 8,553 border pillars along the Nepal–India border. Of the 3,348 pillars requiring repair, only 1,748 have been repaired. Of the 5,205 pillars that needed to be newly constructed, only 2,445 have been completed. It has been stated that the construction of border pillars along the Nepal–India border has not been completed to date due to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ failure to pursue diplomatic initiatives. According to a senior official of the Survey Department, Nepal cannot do this unilaterally, and in recent years the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has also failed to give due attention to the issue. Along the Indian border, border pillars are placed at intervals of 2 to 5 kilometers depending on geographical conditions.

Similarly, border pillars along the Chinese side are also found to be dilapidated and in need of construction. Of the 65 border pillars requiring repair on the Chinese side, only 22 have been repaired, and of the 9 that required reconstruction, only 2 have been rebuilt. Of these, 2 border pillars could not be constructed due to geographical constraints, the department said. Due to China’s rugged terrain, border pillars there are spaced 5 to 10 kilometers apart. The absence of border pillars in areas such as Susta and Limpiyadhura has repeatedly caused problems for Nepali citizens. However, the government claims that preparations are underway to identify dilapidated border pillars and carry out repair and reconstruction on a priority basis.

The government has stated that work will proceed through the allocation of necessary budgets, deployment of technical manpower, and coordination with neighboring countries. It has also planned to make border management more effective by using modern technology, updating digital records, and strengthening regular monitoring systems. Uddhav Nyaupane, Information Officer at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, claimed that the ministry is doing its part on the issue but said he was not aware of other technical aspects.

According to border expert Shrestha, if border pillars are not repaired and protected in time, the risk of border disputes becoming more complex will increase. He therefore recommends that the protection of border pillars be given high priority in the national interest.

People’s News Monitoring Service.

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