India losing land to Myanmar: Reports
Imphal, July 31: Manipur chief
minister Okram Ibobi Singh has asked district authorities to take stock
of border fencing taken up by the Assam Rifles along the Manipur-Myanmar
border in Chandel district.
An official source said the cabinet
discussed the issue during a meeting held yesterday following reports in
the media that the border fence had divided several Manipur villages
along the border.
The district administration has been asked to verify the veracity of the media reports, the source said.
The Assam Rifles is constructing the border fence to prevent cross-border smuggling and movement of arms and militants.
The security forces deployed in the state
claimed that Manipur militants hiding in the neighbouring country
frequently sneaked into Manipur, particularly in Chandel district, to
carry out subversive activities.
Ibobi Singh’s directive comes at a time
when the state unit of the Trinamul Congress is preparing to make a big
issue out of the border fence work with an eye on the 2014 Lok Sabha
elections.
“We are compiling facts on the border
fence. We will submit a representation to our party leader Mamata
Banerjee and the Centre soon to seek a complete halt to the ongoing
construction of the fence. We will do our level best to stop
border-fencing activities,” Trinamul Congress state unit president Kim
Gangte said.
Border settlers claimed that the actual
border was along the foothills, while the fence was being constructed
further up the hill. They said the distance between the original border
and line along which Assam Rifles was constructing the fence now was
around 500 metres.
The border settlers and various civil
society bodies fear that India will give away Manipur’s vast tracts of
land beyond the fence to Myanmar.
“When the NSCN (I-M) demanded Greater
Nagaland, Ibobi Singh said an inch of Manipur’s land would not be
compromised. Now he is silent on the Manipur-Myanmar border. The cabinet
took up the matter only after it was reported in the media,” Gangte
said.
She demanded intervention of the state
government to stop the fencing, review the line of fencing and put it up
at the proper border line.
“Is there any hidden agenda? There are
border maps. Why did the Centre decide to construct the fence much
inside Manipur land and also without caring to consult the border map.
The Trinamul Congress will not accept the present border fence,” Gangte
said.
If the Ibobi Singh-led state government fails to protect its land and people, it should step down, Gangte said.
The Kuki Students Organisation, Kuki
Chiefs Association, Hill Tribal Council, Rural Peoples Development
Federation and Information Centre for Hill Areas of Manipur and several
other citizens’ organisations have also objected to the construction of
the fence.
