If the ongoing fencing works along the Indo-Myanmar Border in Manipur’s Chandel district is completed without any intervention of the state government then the total geographical area of the state will be reduced to 21,356 Sq. Km. This was stated by founder advisor of Information Centre for Hill Areas Manipur (ICHAM) during a press meet held at his residence at Uripok Yambem Leikai, Imphal.
At present government record showed that the present geographical area of the state is 22,356 Sq. Km. This means if the ongoing border fencing works being underway without proper demarcation, has been completed, a total of around 1000 sq. Km will be lost.
The matter was already put to the notice of the state government representative as well as to the Central government authority during July 2013 after ICHAM and the villagers of the border area had raised strong objection for encroaching to Indian Territory. Following that the objection a joint political party committee along with central government authority led by Joint Secretary Home Sambhu inspected and agreed to stop the fencing work until a proper demarcation is conducted in the presence of state government as well as the Villagers, said Nongthonbam Rajendro aka Boy, President of ICHAM during a press meet.
Rajendra further said that a team of ICHAM along with representatives of the Committee on Protection of Land in Border Fencing recently visited the border area and were surprised to see the border fencing survey being carried out by India government authority and the Myanmar govt. authority without the presence of any state government representatives.
“The fencing construction is being taking up without pointing out the zero point for the border pillar location at different places”, Rajendro said.
Those conducting survey from the side of Myanmar were accompanied by a DC and village chiefs of their border villages, and when the villagers of Indian side objected the encroaching of land, the Myanmar authority had told them to talk with the Indian authority, added Rajendro.
“After the incident a team of ICAM and the Committee on Protection of Land in Border Fencing went to the disputed border site during February 22 to February 24 and inspected 8 border pillars located along N. Satang Maring Villages and Lamlong to other nearby villages. During the inspection the border pillar No. 87 & 88 were found to have been encroached by around 2 ½ Km. towards Indian Territory”, Rajendro said with frustration.
He further said that the site was once a camp of the 95 Battalion of BSF till 1988, which means that the Indian security had proper knowledge of whether the Indian territory are being encroached by Myanmar or not.
Ngachonmi Ramshang, Convenor, Committee on Protection of Land in Border Fencing while speaking during the press meet said that the committee had submitted several memorandum time and again since 2013 till this year to pay attention to the encroachment of India’s Territory by the Myanmar Govt in the so called border fencing work, but never taken up appropriate action towards that.
Blaming the Okram Ibobi Singh led Government, Ngachonmi Ramshang said that the government seem to have no interest to the grievances of the border villagers.
“If the government does not have interest in protecting the land than what is the use of their stand to the territorial integrity of the state? It seems like the state government is interested only to quarrel with others but did not border to protect the boundary of the state”, Ngachonmi Ramshang added.
