Susta Looks for Attention from Nation

Issues of border encroachment by neighboring India in several parts of Nepal have been long disputed, Susta being one of the fieriest outrages. While the political parties show their meager interest in the issues and some head of the state did manage to make their invited visit to India, the government has always been reluctant to address the sufferings of people of Susta.

File Image: Baburam Bhattarai visiting Susta, listening to people problems

Susta had 14,000 hectares of land, and now the locals there are residing in 1,354 hectares only. Massive land has been encroached by India with erection of buildings in Nepal’s territory, and also there are only 421 border pillars remaining out of 685. As Susta village is frequently flooded by Narayani River and is impassable with a forest on Indian front, the lives of people there are in stake.

The sheer reluctance from government is quite unfounded that the locals of Susta are underprivileged without basic facilities of health services and education. Susta is inhabited by 1350 people of 213 households and no one has received land ownership certificates with few having citizenship card. The only marketplace of the locals of Susta is Bhedihari Bazar in India, which is often set to ban on crossing.  Also, the people are unreasonably harassed and physically tortured by SSB security force of Indian border while moving into the border.

Despite of the supervision by International Relations and Human Rights Commission (IRHC) formed under Legislative Parliament of Nepal, no government officials, political parties or other agencies have been serious about the Indo-Nepal border encroachment. This has created a psychology of inferiority among the local people and has put a question over our national sovereignty.

Nepal government needs to be serious in the issues of national territory and life and identity of its people. What do you say?