January 20: The settlementsof Chhangru and Tinkaralong the northern border of Nepal wear a deserted look as all the residents have migrated to the district headquarters Khalanga to escape harsh winter. They prefer not to stay back in the villages during winter alsodue to lack of security. The state-run news agency RastriyaSamacharSamiti (RSS) reported that the entire village is covered with snow at present.

There are 65 households in Tinkar and 105 households at Chhangru. The two settlements which lie at an altitude of 12,000 feet above the sea level are located in Ward No 1 of Byas Rural Municipality in Darchula district which shares border with the tri-junction of Nepal, India and China.

RSS reported that even the security personnel stationed there for guarding the border have left the cantonment. The local government is implementing some development projects in this remote settlement, but these plans are in limbo as there are no people.

According to RSS, India and China have maintained strong security by deploying border security forces on their side of the international border, but the Nepali side is unmanned. The Nepali police personnel deployed for securing the border have moved to Dumlingin Ward No 2 of the same rural municipality.

“The security of the village now rests on the hands of the gods and the snow,”RSS quoted YashodaTinkari, a woman leader of Tinkar, as saying.

China and India have maintained their contingents of their security forces on the tri-junction border at Tinkar since they went to war 47 years back. However, the Nepal has not been able to maintain security at its border settlement, she complained. There is no security post in the settlements which have a population of nearly 1,000.

RSS further reported that India increased the size of its security forces in the area by setting up the India Tibet Border Police (ITBP) since the time of the Khampa insurgency in August, 1975. India has stationed its security posts including a garrison of weapons at five places between the border town of Dharchula and Kalapaniat a distance of about 50 kilometres. The ITBP has set up its weapons garrison at Ghattabagar, established camps at Gabryang, Chhyalek and Gunji and the Indian army camp at Kalapani, states the RSS report.

But the Nepali side has the presence of its security forces at the only transit point in Tinkar, north of Darchula for only six months a year.

According to RSS, the security personnel stay at the border police post only for six months in the summer and abandon the camp for six months during the winter.

“We cannot station the police personnel at the Tinkar border during the winter due to unfavourable weather,” officiating chief of the Darchula Police, HikmatBohara, said.