NEW DELHI: Strengthening of mutual cooperation to curb trans-border criminal activities, improve border infrastructure and ensure effective disaster management dominated discussions at the Indo-Nepal home secretary-level talks held here on Tuesday.Leading the Indian side was Union home secretary Govind Mohan, while the Nepali side was led by his counterpart Gokarna Mani Duwadee.During the talks, both sides reviewed the entire gamut of bilateral security cooperation as well as border management and agreed to strengthen it further, the home ministry said in a release on Wednesday.The deliberations included issues related to the repair and maintenance of boundary pillars; trans-border criminal activities; working of border district coordination committees; and strengthening of border infrastructure, particularly integrated check posts (ICPs), roads and railway networks. The home ministry release said empowerment and capacity building of various security-related institutions, and ways to strengthen cooperation in disaster risk reduction and management, were also taken up for discussion.Both the sides welcomed the finalisation of the text of the agreement on mutual legal assistance in criminal matters and agreed to work towards early conclusion of the revised extradition treaty.The unfenced Indo-Nepal border is prone to being exploited by criminals, including terrorists, to escape scrutiny and investigation by the law enforcement agencies, particularly on the Indian side.It was agreed that the next home secretary level talks will be held in Nepal at a mutually convenient date.
