Entry of third country nationals restricted at Raxaul Immigration Check-Post from Mar 15, 2020

Satish Aditya
Raxaul ( Bihar):  The  Ministry of Home Affairs has restricted all type of  passenger  movements through all the Immigration Land Check-Posts located on Indo-Nepal border, Indo-Bangaladesh border, Indo-Bhutan border, and  Indo-Myanmar  border with effect from March 15, 2020, till further orders in view of the spread of  COVID-19. But this restriction does not  apply to four Immigration Land Check-Posts  along Indo –Nepal border including Raxaul Immigration Check-Post in East Champaran District in Bihar, Bhawna- Sonauli  Land Check-Post in UP, Mahendra Nagar- Banbasa  Land Checkpost in Uttarakhand, and Raniganj – Pashupatinagar Land Check-Post  in West Bengal.

An Office Memorandum issued by the Immigration section of Foreign Division of Ministry of Home Affairs on March 13, 2020,  said  Raxaul Land Immigration Check-Post would  remain operational in Bihar for  India, Nepal, and  Bhutan nationals but he entry  of  Foreigners of third country has been restricted, said Kumar Pankaj, Raxaul Immigration Officer. Raxaul Immigration Check-post is only entry point  for foreigners  from Nepal into Bihar  and this Check-Post is under Immigration Bureau.
He further said that any persons  from Nepal or Bhutan coming or going  through this check-post would be  screened and they have to
show their  history of travel.

Priywart Sharma, Commandant, SSB 47th Battalion on Raxaul border, said  that SSB jawans have been deployed at Pantoka, Matri Bridge, Integrated Check-Post  and Immigration Check-Post  at Raxaul  with medical teams  to screen the  people  coming to Bihar from Nepal side. The SSB jawans have been also deployed at  different traditional  routes  to Nepal  on Indo-Nepal border. That apart,  SSB has intensified  awareness drive about Coronavirus  in the border villages  in East Champaran and West Champaran Districts in North Bihar.