Indo-Myanmar border: ‘10km already fenced, work on 288km to start in few months’
Times of India | 12 April 2024
KOLKATA: Hours after external affairs minister S Jaishankar on Thursday reiterated the Centre’s decision to fence the Indo-Myanmar border, a Border Roads Organisation (BRO) spokesperson said the organisation has been given the responsibility to fence 298-km stretch of the border of which work on 10 km in Manipur is already over.
He, however, said it may take almost a year to fence the remaining 288-km heavily forested stretch provided the BRO gets all the necessary clearances to complete the project.
“Work in this sensitive area will begin after the organisation gets past some procedural formalities, including land acquisition, forest and government clearance which are expected to be given within two to three months, given the intent of the Centre to expedite work,” he said.
Earlier, Manipur chief minister N Biren Singh had said infiltration and trans-border movement of “inimical elements” from the neighbouring country was detrimental to the state and due to the FMR, the state was finding it difficult to control the unrest in the state. The Free Movement Regime (FMR) allows people living close to this border to venture 16 km in each other’s territory without any documentation.
Arunachal Pradesh CM Pema Khandu, too, has welcomed the Centre’s move to fence the border and had said it would check movement of unscrupulous elements across the border. Arunachal shares a 520-km border with Myanmar and the border fencing would effectively put a stop to this FMR.
The Mizoram government and civil society organisations as well as several student bodies, however, have opposed this idea of fencing the India-Myanmar border in the state. On February 28 this year, the Mizoram assembly had passed a resolution opposing the Centre’s decision. The state particularly opposes this plan to fence off the border due to its Zo ethnic community, who have lived here and in Myanmar’s Chin hills for centuries. They were separated geographically after the British came to India and separated the region.
The Nagaland government also is wary of the move as people from the state have properties on both sides of the border. Various Naga civil societies, student bodies and tribal organisations have also opposed the move due to this reason.
EAM Jaishankar on Thursday said the Centre is aware of the interests and traditions of the people and is sensitive to the issues faced by the people here as well as the customs and relationships across the border, but given the present scenario, the security of the country and the states require the Centre to take certain precautions.