The Manipur government has apprised the Central government for partial suspension of the ongoing border fencing work carried out by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) at the disputed India-Myanmar border area (specifically pillar No 80 and 81).
The move came following the agitations held at the Kangla gate and at Lamlong Bazar, Imphal East on Monday and Tuesday by the United Committee Manipur (UCM), demanding an amicable solution to the border issue.
A Central team will meet the Myanmar Government to sort out the issue, said Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh while replying to a query raised by the media on the sidelines of the Olympic Day celebration at Khuman Lampak, Imphal East.
The fencing work at the disputed area will be halted as of now, and will continue once the boundary dispute has been settled, he said, adding that the fencing work will continue at the rest of the border areas, which are not under dispute, to prevent illegal influx of migrants and smuggling of illicit drugs.
Biren said that the state government considers the border issue as a serious matter and he had spoken to the Union Home secretary over a phone call to resolve the issue.
The official letter written to the Union Home secretary by the state government stated that the UCM had vehemently opposed the construction of the border fencing, alleging that some of the border pillars had been shifted by a large distance on the Indian side from the actual international boundary.
The letter mentioned about the agitations taken up by the UCM, and further announced that it will continue the agitations and threatened of even resorting to sacrificing their lives in the process.
It stated that the law and order situation in the state may worsen in the coming days due to the opposition to the ongoing fencing work. It also requested for suspension of the fencing work and to depute a team of the ministry and Survey of India for holding a thorough discussion regarding the positions of the disputed border pillars.
