The old adage ‘out of sight out of mind’ is not yet totally irrelevant. It makes sense to you when you negotiate through the Nepal-India borders, which are open but not really friendly. Having lived and travelled across most the prominent borders entry points between these two countries, I have experienced over the years the sheer hollowness of oft-repeated claims of ‘friendly ties’.

After recently taking the Delhi-Kathmandu bus which passes through the enigmatic yet lifeless parts of Uttar Pradesh in India, the journey from Bhairawaha to Kathmandu reminded me how swiftly Nepal’s basic infrastructure is crumbling. The rag-tag highway is crumbling in places and makes for a jarring welcome to the Capital. But it was on my way back, via Nepalgunj, on the ‘Modi Bus’—the single-biggest breakthrough in the ‘neighbourhood 1st policy’—that the foreign affairs critic in me began to see the Delhi-Kathmandu transit for what it is—an ‘escapist ploy’ that glazes over the more pressing issues on outdated bilateral treaties.

Once you move past Nepalgunj, beyond the border into Rupaidiha (a village in Bahraich district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh) you see the hollowness of the ‘India’s shining growth story’, a much publicised PR cornerstone. Rupaidiha, with its shabby infrastructure, flocks of unemployed youth, and the general gloom that even the most incorrigible optimist would struggle to see through, highlights not just the direction-less policies crafted by both Delhi and Kathmandu but also the impact these policy failures are having on border town, which otherwise should have been booming with commerce and activity. Not many residents of sleepy Rupaidiha know about the world outside their immediate locale, the same is true for the Nepali migrants who cross the border looking for work. And what become amply apparent is that the Kathmandu-New Delhi ‘remote diplomacy’ does not trickle down to these outlying border towns.

It also becomes apparent, that instead of interfering with the due process in Nepal, it would have served India better if it had given a serious diplomatic and political push to strengthen trade relations through the borders of Bihar and UP. This would have revamped the economy on both sides, instead of the constant freezing and thawing of relations. It would have also helped curtail the illegal trafficking of goods and black-marketeering that run rampant in these border towns.

This is the most essential fundamental that needs to be taken into account by policymakers of both sides. After the series of diplomatic catastrophes of the past year, both nations should make efforts to strongly promote thefast-track development of industrial clusters near the borders. Without developing border towns into hubs for productive activities, it is wrong per se’ for India to claim its large-heartedness in dealing with its lone ‘friendly neighbour’, Nepal.

The policymakers in India, in their part, should seek to truly understand the prevailing conditions in Nepal, and its eventful past. This should apply to everyone, including the ‘diplomats from south of Vindhyas’ erroneously sent to the Kathmandu mission, where not all of them find it worthwhile to hone their local understanding. India must be more careful in sending its diplomats for Kathmandu mission, as not without reason, it had not received constructive and timely feedback in times of great tension and is often labelled as a ‘colonial troop’.

While India House should retain a formidable place in South Asian diplomacy, the inhabitants there should spend time in finding ways to rectify the ongoing practices and present alternatives, which could serve the bilateral purposes well.

With talking about India-Nepal borders, the first and last thing that comes in mind is the ‘foregone economic opportunities’ that is plain for all to see. The spiralling inflation, food shortage, thriving black market culture and rampant cronyism are the hallmark of today’s border towns on both sides. This is the same part of the world where the people are still carrying on in blissful ‘innocence’ without knowing how to deal with the hard ugly realities of the new political culture of the land.

The heart of the matter is that travelling back in time is not possible, so the only option is to look ahead and make course corrections. Any further clinging on to the status quo on the impractical border and trade matters will compromise the interests of both India and Nepal, in equal proportion.

(Thakur is a New Delhi based journalist and writer, he tweets at @atul_mdb)