India, Nepal Launch Joint Drone Survey to Map Border Land Encroachments

India and Nepal have agreed to conduct a drone-based survey to identify encroachments along the Dasgaja strip, a 10-yard no-man's land that runs along their 1,880-km open border. The decision was taken during the 13th meeting of the Survey Officials Committee, led by deputy chiefs of Nepal's Survey Department and Survey of India, held in Lucknow last week.

The exercise will also map what officials term "cross-border occupation," where citizens of one country farm, live on, or hold land that falls on the other side of the border. The aim is to create a jointly verified technical record of such areas, which can later serve as a basis for negotiations on removing encroachments, restoring land, or providing compensation.

The issue gained political significance in Nepal after Prime Minister Balendra Shah told Parliament in May that "Nepal had also encroached on Indian land." The remark came while he was responding to questions about Limpiyadhura, Lipulekh, and Kalapani — territories controlled by India but claimed by Nepal. The statement triggered protests from opposition parties. Nepal's foreign ministry later clarified that Shah was referring to Dasgaja encroachments and cross-border occupation, not territorial claims.

Dayanand Joshi, spokesperson for Nepal's Survey Department, said, "It has been decided to map cross-border occupation using drones. This includes cross-border occupation and also encroachment of Dasgaja."

Border expert Buddhi Narayan Shrestha, a former director general of Nepal's Survey Department, said the initiative could help resolve disputes that have persisted for decades. "Indian farmers have encroached on the land of Nepali farmers along the border, and Nepali farmers have also encroached on the land of Indian farmers to some extent. I call this cross-border land grabbing," he said.

Shrestha's 2005 field study identified 84 locations where Indian farmers were occupying Nepali land and 27 locations where Nepali farmers were occupying Indian land. He said such disputes often arise where boundary pillars are missing or where local land-use records are inaccurate. "It will take some time for technicians from Nepal and India to compile such a list. Once the data is in hand, the decision on how to resolve the issue should be made through negotiations by higher-level officials sitting at the table," he added.

Shrestha also pointed to Nepal's past border demarcation with China, where local officials from Tibet and Nepal resolved similar disputes through compensation and land-swap arrangements. He noted that nearly 42 per cent of the 8,553 boundary pillars shown on maps are yet to be installed, making the drone survey crucial for preventing local disputes from escalating into diplomatic standoffs.

Both countries share a uniquely open border with minimal restrictions on movement. Officials believe that a joint technical record will allow the two governments to address long-standing grievances systematically, rather than through piecemeal local arrangements. The Survey Officials Committee has been meeting periodically to discuss technical aspects of the boundary; last week's meeting in Lucknow was its 13th session, indicating sustained engagement between the two technical agencies.

While the survey is expected to take time, officials said it is a significant confidence-building step in bilateral relations. The next steps will involve data sharing, field verification, and eventual higher-level consultations between the two governments.