Indian authorities have black-topped a 3-km road that was built encroaching no-man’s-land along the Nepal-India border.

The road stretch extends from the bordering town of Bhitthamod to Pokharvinda in the Indian state of Bihar. The road between Pillar No 301 and 302 has been constructed along with the border pillars.

A source said that the road was constructed some 50 years ago. “Nepali side did not care the encroachment at the time. India has continued it till date,” the source said.

As per the international law, no country can use no-man’s-land for any activities within the 10-yard area on the either side of the border.

The encroached land lies across Samsi of Mahottari district.

The Indian side has black-topped road only few inches from the border pillars. There is a huge Indian settlement south of the road while the Nepali side is relatively uninhabited. When contacted, the Nepali Border Outpost officials have said they were ignorant about the construction of the road. Some parts of no-man’s-land areas along the border are difficult to identify due to the Indian encroachment, locals said.

“The Nepali authorities have turned a blind eye to the Indian activities along the border. Had the authority been concerned about the matter, this would not happen,” said a local leader from Mahottari.

Indian Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) official, however, said that the road constructed along the border was built only for a temporary purpose. “The bridge along the previous black-topped road is in poor condition so we have made the road from Dasgaja area for temporary use,” said an SSB official.

Meanwhile, Superintendent of Police Sundar Khadka, the chief of border security force in Mahottari, said that he was unaware of the situation as he had not been to the area yet. “I will inform the Chief District Officer about the construction after a field observation,” he added.