(photo Imteyaz)
Satish Aditya
Motihari : The Nepal Government, in a major development, forcibly stopped the repair and other anti-erosion works on Lalbakeya right embankment near 347 pillar on No Man’s Land on Indo-Nepal border near village Guawari under Dhaka police station in East Champaran District in North Bihar on June 15, 2020. Earlier, it had stopped repair work near village Guawari in March 2019. East Champaran DM Shirshat Kapil Ashok said he has sent a report to Bihar Government, MHA at Centre, and the Indian embassy at Kathmandu in this connection.
The Nepal authorities have objected to repair in the embankment in 500 meter stretch. However, the major repair works has been completed and only girder fittings and pucca road needs to be constructed.
On June 15, 2020, Basudeo Ghimire, Chief District Officer (CDO), Rautahat District of Nepal, along with other officials and police force reached near embankment repair site at Guawari and asked Ranbir Prasad, Executive Engineer, Drainage Division, Motihari, to stop the
the repair work claiming that embankment was actually being constructed on No Man’s Land area. Guawari village is located 47 km
north-east from Motihari, headquarters of East Champaran District.
According to Executive Engineer, Drainage Division, in March 2019 too, the CDO of Rautahat District Ghimre, had stopped the repair work at Guawari. After that, it was decided by the officials of both the sides to take fresh measurement of the area of No Mans Land near 347 number pillar.
Anil Kumar, ADM, Disaster Management, East Champaran, talking to this scribe said that in March 2020, East Champaran district officials including he himself and CDO of Rautahat along with Nepal officials reached the spot and the area of No Man’s Land was measured again and there was no dispute and all all objections of Nepal side were removed in a friendly manner.
According to sources, CDO, Rautahat, Nepal, had reportedly told the officials from Bihar at that time that his concern was to save a village named Banjarawa in Nepal side from the floods in Lalbakeya river. He had requested the officials from Bihar to make a channel towards Banjarawa to drain out flood waters during rainy season. He also requested them not to raise the embankment height towards Nepal side.
“We did not raise the height of embankment in Nepal side but the channel had not yet been built to save banjarawa. This has become the bone of contention,” said a Bihar Government official.