India continue to encroach Nepali soil at Susta
Amrita Anmol
BUTWAL, Sept 26 - The residents of Susta, a village in Nawalparasi district bordering India, are forced to live like aliens in their own lands due to the border encroachment from the Indian side.
They are deprived of the right to live and work in their own lands in spite of their possession of landownership certificates.
About 400 bighas of land has been forcefully encroached by India. The Indian border security personnel are chopping down trees, ploughing their lands and destroying their harvests, complained the locals.
The locals added that the Indian border policemen are trying to chase them from their homes. They have even barred from crossing the border and visit nearby Indian markets, they added.
"We stood against the border encroachment and tried to intervene in order to save our lands. But the security officers have filed cases on us giving us physical and mental torture", said Gopal Gurung of the 'Save Susta Movement'. "They have charged us in Sandalwood, gold smuggling and killing animals, and even the CDO of Nawalparasi Sharad Chand has also clarified it."
The Indian side had agreed to free the encroached areas during the discussion between the Nepali officials and Nepali sides some time back. However, the encroachment of the Nepali soil continues unabated along the open and porous border with India at Susta.
Now they have even relocated the border pillars, the locals further added.
Even the Armed Police Force base camp and local police stationed at Susta has been unable to stop the border encroachment. Around 133 families are likely to be displaced from the area due to border encroachment.
kantipuronline.com
