Border Fencing Row ::Drafting committee begins to crumble
Source: Hueiyen News Service
Imphal, November 07, 2013:
Alleging that the State Government had prior knowledge about border fencing and it had received compensations from the Central Government, the opposition parties created furor at the meeting of the drafting committee on border fencing which was set up by all political parties of the State recently.
According to a highly placed source, a meeting of the drafting committee chaired by convenor MLA RK Anand was held at the Committee Room of New Assembly Complex at 3.30 pm yesterday.
However, the representatives of Manipur People�s Party (MPP) remained aloof from the meeting decrying the monopoly of Congress Party within the committee.
The leaders of MPP would take their own decision on border fencing and make it known to the public later.
During the meeting, the representative of BJP Manipur Pradesh Dr RK Ranjan and President of JD (U) Manipur State Unit M Tombi alleged that the State Government had duped the people by concealing the facts on border fencing.
The report of Times of India published on October 31 last has made it clear that the border fencing was taken up at the cost of Yangougpokpi Lokchao Wildlife Sanctuary.
Moreover, the State Government had received a sum of Rs.503.68 lakh as compensation in 2010 out of the total Rs.30.96 crore sanctioned during 2006-07 after getting due clearance from the Supreme Court and Ministry of Environment and Forest, the opposition contended.
The opposition leaders further pressed that the draft report must include an indictment on State Government for concealing the facts of border fencing.
The differences among the political parties heightened and the meeting ultimately ended at around 5.30 pm without a point of finalization.
Leaders of Trinamool Congress, NPF, CPI (M), CPI, Lok Jan Shakti, Shiv Sena and All India Forward Bloc who were present at the meeting also demanded a clarification from the State Government on the controversial border fencing.
It may be mentioned that an all political parties team led by Gaikhangam visited Moreh on October 22 last where it made a spot assessment of the Indo-Myanmar Border Fencing after the Congress Government headed by O Ibobi Singh faced a mounting pressure from various quarters over reported loss of Manipur�s land to neighbouring Myanmar on account of the ongoing border fencing work.
Subsequently, a drafting committee headed by MLA RK Anand was set up to make a draft report on the border fencing that would be submitted to the Central Government.