Kathmandu [Nepal], October 31 – Nepal and India have agreed to strengthen border security through modern technology, improved information sharing and closer coordination to combat cross-border crimes and illegal activities.
The agreement was reached at the three-day 10th Nepal-India Coordination Meeting which concluded in Kathmandu on Friday. The meeting was led by Nepal’s Armed Police Force (APF) Inspector General Narayan Dutta Paudyal and India’s Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) Director General Sanjay Singhal.
According to APF spokesperson Deputy Inspector General Netra Bahadur Karki, both sides reviewed the implementation of decisions taken at the previous meeting and pledged to strengthen cooperation at strategic, operational and field levels.
The two sides agreed to improve intelligence sharing and coordinate efforts against human trafficking, drug smuggling, counterfeit currency, illegal trafficking and transnational criminal networks. They also agreed to tighten document verification and security checks to prevent unauthorised entry of third-country nationals.
Plans were discussed to introduce a technology-enabled border management system including CCTV cameras, luggage scanners, metal detectors and drones.
Both sides also agreed to remove illegal structures and encroachments from the no-man’s-land and coordinate the maintenance of border pillars.
The meeting discussed joint disaster-response exercises, expanded traveller assistance desks and cultural exchanges. The next coordination meeting will be held in India next year.
