IT News
Imphal, June 29:
A team comprising of members of the United Committee Manipur (UCM) headed by its president Joychandra Konthoujam and members of the Moreh Meitei Council today visited Indo Myanmar border near Kwatha Village in Tengoupal district and inspected any loss of Manipur’s territories in the ongoing security fencing being underway.
During the visit, it was found that the border fencing works have been put to a halt. Quoting a source, our Moreh correspondent said that the BRTF which has been implementing the work under the Ministry of Home Affairs, Govt. of India had stopped the fencing work around seven days back. The site is where the border pillar number 80 and 81 are located. The government of Manipur had earlier written a letter to the Union Home Ministry to put halt the border fencing work at BP -80 and 81 following protest by Civil Society Organisations under the aegis of the UCM, pointing out that the fencing was done inside the territory of Manipur, which meant that Manipur may lose its territory. During the series of protest, a lady journalist and a member of the UCM sustained minor injury in police action at Khurai area.
The UCM had been claiming that the fencing work being underway is constructed from 3 to 5 km inside the Manipur’s territory.
On June 23, Chief Minister N. Biren Singh announced that the border fencing work on the disputed areas with Myanmar between BP 80 and 81 had been stopped with immediate effect.
He said, “I had a talk with the Home Secretary on the controversy of the border fencing at disputed areas with Myanmar. It was agreed that the erection of the fencing in these disputed areas will be suspended. The Home Ministry is sending an instruction to the Manipur Chief Secretary. A high-level official team will be sent to hold talks with the Myanmarese counterpart”.
Following the Chief Minister’s instruction, the Chief Secretary had written a letter to the Union Govt. to halt the fencing work until a proper demarcation is conducted between the Survey of India and the representative of the government of Myanmar.
