Nepal and India are prepared to recommence boundary discussions from July 27 to 29 in New Delhi, following a six-year hiatus. The seventh Boundary Working Group (BWG) meeting, which serves as the highest-level bilateral framework for border fieldwork, is scheduled to focus on the resumption of technical activities, as reported by the Kathmandu Post, referencing sources.
“The meeting has been scheduled,” stated Lok Bahadur Chettri, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. “This is a routine meeting that was interrupted due to the Covid pandemic.”
The BWG is responsible for the construction, restoration, and maintenance of boundary pillars, as well as the clearance of no-man’s land, while excluding contentious areas such as Susta and Kalapani.
In 2014, during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Nepal, both countries agreed to form the BWG. It was also determined that the disputes over Susta and Kalapani would be addressed by foreign secretaries with the support of the BWG.
Prakash Joshi, the director general of Nepal’s Department of Survey, will head the Nepali delegation, which will include representatives from the foreign, home, defense, law, and land management ministries, along with experts and members of the Armed Police Force.
Last BWG meeting
The last BWG meeting occurred in Dehradun, India, in August 2019. Its objective was to finalize border tasks by 2022; however, progress was hindered by the Covid pandemic and a subsequent boundary dispute between Nepal and India.
The dispute escalated in 2019–20 when India’s map incorporated Kalapani, leading Nepal to advocate for the resumption of the BWG in every high-level meeting since the onset of the pandemic.
India, citing Covid, postponed BWG meetings but subsequently delegated border responsibilities to security agencies. The joint patrolling, intelligence, and local meetings to safeguard boundary pillars are managed by Nepal’s Armed Police Force and India’s Sashastra Seema Bal.
A Nepali official participating in the forthcoming meeting informed the Post that it will resume from 2019, assessing progress and continuing fieldwork, inspections, pillar maintenance, and the installation of new pillars in accordance with BWG terms. Additionally, it will carry out a cross-border inventory to identify properties owned by citizens in each other’s territories, utilizing GPS technology to monitor and define boundaries and pillars.
The BWG receives support from the Survey Officials’ Committee and Joint Field Survey Teams for technical assistance.
