Rana rulers had purchased the land from British-India government in 1927 to build offices as well as the station for Raxaul-Birgunj-Amlekhgunj railway line. However, activist Raj Kumar Pandey said around 200 huts have been build on the Nepal-owned land.

 He said the situation has arisen due to the negligence of Nepal government. “People can’t encroach upon an inch of land owned by Indian government,” he said. The railway stopped serving people around 25 years ago and property was transferred to Nepal Yatayat Parbahan Sansthan, which was later dissolved.

Meanwhile, Pradeep Kediya, chairman of the Birgunj chapter of Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said traders are compelled to pay high rent to store goods at Indian railway station though Nepal itself has an open space nearby. “The government should remove the illegal huts and let traders store their goods in the area,” he said.