Nepal-India Border Dispute: Decision to Map ‘Cross-Border Occupations’ Using Drones
Survey officials from Nepal and India have agreed to utilize drones to map the Dasgaja encroachments and cross-border land possession. Experts believe this initiative could pave the way for resolving longstanding border issues. Senior representatives from Nepal’s Survey Department and India’s Survey of India reached this decision during the Survey Officers Committee meeting held last week in Lucknow, agreeing to complete the mapping of Dasgaja encroachments and ‘cross-border occupation’ within three years, initially undertaken as a pilot project.
The decision follows significant political turbulence after Prime Minister Balendra Shah admitted in parliament that Nepal had encroached upon Indian territory in multiple locations. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs promptly clarified the Prime Minister’s statement, defining the Dasgaja encroachments and instances where citizens of one country reside and farm in the other’s land as ‘cross-border occupation.’ A former Director General of Nepal’s Survey Department highlighted that this approach provides an opportunity to address local level disputes effectively by identifying and listing the specific areas involved.
In response to backlash over the Prime Minister’s remarks, technical teams from both countries were mobilized to collect detailed data on Dasgaja encroachments and cross-border occupation. Dayanand Joshi, spokesperson for the Survey Department, stated, “The use of drones for mapping cross-border occupation has been approved. The joint border working group has planned numerous initiatives over the next three years, and this mapping will be completed within that timeframe.”
Survey officials emphasized that only after mapping will it be possible to accurately determine the locations of such disputes. Former Foreign Secretary Shankardas Bairagi advocated for thorough solutions, advising technical teams from both sides to document details of land occupiers with specific ward and plot numbers. Nepal and India share an approximately 1,880-kilometer open border, with border security managed by Nepal’s Armed Police Force and India’s Border Security Force, respectively.