NEW DELHI: As security agencies concentrate their efforts on maintaining peace and security in Kailali district, smuggling of goods is rife along the Nepal-India border in recent days.
Taking advantage of the fragile security situation along the border, smugglers have stepped up illegal trading of goods to and fro India. The smugglers are finding it easy to trade illegally as Armed Police Force (APF), responsible to provide border security and control smuggling, has been mobilised to maintain security in the district after the Tikapur clash which left nine people dead.
Smuggling is rife in Doke Bazaar, Bagrakatan, Jugeda, Phulbari, Hasuliya, Mauriyaghat, Lalbojhi, Narayanpur, Satti and Khakraul among other areas of late. Smugglers mainly import sugar, cement, iron rod, pulses, edible oil, rice, chemical fertilisers, hardware goods and clothes. They smuggle betel nut, medicinal herbs and hashish into India.
Smugglers are found setting up godown on the banks of the rivers along the border and transport the smuggled good at night using trucks and tractors. The smugglers supply those goods to the godowns of the traders. A knowledgeable source said smugglers of both Nepal and India have been working hand in hand to trade the goods illegally for years in the area.
Superintendent of APF Jaya Bahadur Khadka admitted that the smugglers might have been trading goods illegally as the APF has been focusing mainly on security issues in the district lately.
According to security sources, around 70 percent security personnel have been deployed in curfew and riot zones for past one month in the district, leaving the 101-km Nepal-India border fragile.
However, the security situation has also been deteriorated in the district due to the confrontation between supporters of Tharuhat and undivided Far-West.
Besides security concerns, a rise in the water level in several rivers and streams along the border is also said to make smuggling activities more convenient.
