ITAHARI: The border dispute between two local units in Sunsari has escalated further after a welcome board placed by Dharan Sub-Metropolitan City was removed from the Panipiya area of Itahari Sub-Metropolitan City-20.
Earlier, police offices in Itahari and Dharan had installed boards indicating the beginning of their respective jurisdictions on opposite banks of the Seuti Khola River. However, Dharan Mayor Harka Sampang ordered the removal of those boards, claiming that they were misleading people about the border between the two sub-metropolises.
Mayor Sampang explained that he placed the board in the Panipiya area because it represents the actual border of Dharan sub-metropolis. “We had informed the District Coordination Committee, Sunsari, about the border dispute. But they showed no concern,” he added.
In response to the border dispute, Tika Rai, a former Mayor of Dharan, said that it was not the appropriate time to revive the issue. “Now is not the time to bring up the border issue. This is the time to prepare plans for effective budget spending,” he added. Rai, however, underscored the need for a methodical and collaborative approach to resolve the problem. He suggested that the relevant agencies engage in discussions with stakeholders from both sub-metropolises to resolve the matter.
Rai also claimed that the federal and provincial governments are implementing programs in areas claimed by Dharan through the Dharan Sub-Metropolitan City.
While Itahari sub-metropolis asserts that Seuti Khola has been the boundary since the 1950s, Suraj Shrestha, chief of the planning and engineering division of Dharan Sub-Metropolitan City, stated that the official map shows Dharan’s boundary extends up to Panipiya. “Seuti Khola has been used as the boundary by the Area Police Office and community forest committee, which is not acceptable to the sub-metropolitan city,” he added.
According to a map published by Itahari Sub-Metropolitan City, Itahari’s boundary extends 300 meters beyond Panipiya, which is claimed as the official boundary by Dharan.
Rajan Mehta, Coordinator of District Coordination Committee, Sunsari, said that they were preparing to form a committee to resolve the boundary issue. “The committee will examine all evidence and hold discussions with the mayors of both local units to find a way out of the impasse,” he added.
Key Developments:
- In 2017, chiefs of Dharan and Itahari held a discussion to address the boundary dispute.
- The boundary issue intensified after Tilak Rai was elected Mayor of Dharan in a by-election in 2019.
- Dharan Mayor Harka Sampang placed a ‘welcome board’ of Dharan sub-metropolis in Panipiya, which Itahari claims falls within its Ward-20.
- A youth union associated with CPN-UML uprooted the board, escalating the border dispute between the two sub-metropolises.
