Vigil along Indo-Nepal border stepped up ahead of UP polls

The extra vigil will be maintained in the bordering areas with Nepal in view of the assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh early next year and the administrative officials of the neighboring country have assured full cooperation in this regard, a senior district official said here on Friday.

A meeting of the India-Nepal Coordination Committee was held in Nepalganj city of the neighboring country during which the issue of peaceful conduct of UP elections was taken upon which the senior administrative officers present from the Nepalese side assured all possible cooperation, Bahraich District Magistrate Dinesh Chandra Singh told newspersons here.

There are many footpaths on the open border roads between the two countries, hence there is a need for special vigilance to check that anarchic elements do not use these routes for spreading unrest during the polls, he said.

Officials from both sides also agreed on coordinating with each other for taking preventive measures for checking crime, especially organized crime on the border, the DM said, adding they have agreed to exchange information in cases of criminal elements committing a crime in one country and hiding in another.

Other important points including smuggling of illegal drugs, liquor, and arms, and use of border by criminal elements for human trafficking were also discussed.

Senior officers of all the border districts concerned attended this meeting, the DM added. Maharajganj, Siddharthnagar, Shravasti, Balrampur, Bahraich, Lakhimpur Kheri, and Pilibhit districts of the state share borders with Nepal.