In a commendable effort to strengthen border integrity, the districts of Bihar adjoining Nepal have demolished several illegal constructions along the border. This operation not only increased security but also led to the discovery of large quantities of counterfeit currency and the apprehension of several foreign persons.

Patna: The intensive drive to remove illegal encroachments from the India-Nepal border area has yielded major results in the border districts of Bihar with the district administration reporting large-scale demolition of ‘no man’s land’ and illegal structures within 15 km of the International Border as part of a comprehensive effort to strengthen border management and security.The progress report was presented during a review meeting chaired by Chief Secretary Pratyaya Amrit, where the District Magistrates of East Champaran, West Champaran, Madhubani, Sitamarhi, Kishanganj, Supaul and Araria shared updates on border security and development works.According to the presentations, Madhubani has removed all 186 identified illegal structures in the last one month, while Kishanganj has removed all 34 identified encroachments. In West Champaran, 261 out of 272 encroachments have been removed, with coordination underway with Nepali authorities regarding the remaining cases.The review also highlighted progress in crime control and action against counterfeit Indian currency notes. Recently 10 accused were arrested in East Champaran and fake notes worth Rs 18,500 in Indian notes and Rs 25 lakh in Nepali notes were seized. In Sitamarhi, officials recovered fake Nepali notes worth Rs 49 lakh and Indian fake notes worth Rs 20,100.In cyber crime enforcement, the Sitamarhi administration facilitated refunds of over Rs 11.66 lakh in January. In Madhubani and Araria, an inter-state gang involved in manufacturing fake identity cards and Aadhaar cards was busted, leading to several arrests.Maintenance and verification of border pillars is being done through modern technology and joint survey. Regular monitoring of 1,237 pillars in East Champaran and 358 pillars in Madhubani is going on. Field survey team is taking action to repair damaged or missing pillars in Kishanganj and Sitamarhi. The repair work of all the damaged pillars in Supaul has been completed.It was told in the meeting that security agencies are maintaining surveillance against illegal infiltration of foreign citizens and arrests have also been made, which include citizens of Uzbekistan, Bangladesh, China and America.On the development front, hundreds of villages in the border area have been selected under the Vibrant Village Program-II. In Madhubani, detailed project reports are being prepared for 253 development schemes covering 36 villages, while 250 more villages have been added by the Government of India. Modern facilities including digital library and model agri farm are being developed in four blocks in Sitamarhi at a cost of Rs 24 crore. Rs 112 crore has been allocated under the program in Kishanganj.The review further said that agriculture and horticulture based economic activities are being promoted in the border districts with special focus on processing of dragon fruit, pineapple and tea.