CM must apologise to public on border fencing: Chaoba
Source: Hueiyen News Service
Imphal, November 11 2013:
President of BJP Manipur Pradesh Thounaojam Chaoba has demanded Chief Minister Okram Ibobi to tender apology to the public on border fencing row.
Addressing media persons at the office of BJP Manipur Pradesh at Nityaipat Chuthek here today, Chaoba said that there is no point for BJP to join all political parties' delegation to meet the Prime Minister on the controversial Indo-Myanmar border fencing.
The State Government has duped the public and sought assent from the Central Government to start the border fencing at the cost of losing a large territory of the State to Myanmar.
Both Chief Minister Okram Ibobi and Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh have concealed the ugly facts on Indo-Myanmar border fencing from the public.
It was the effort of the Information Centre for Hill Areas Manipur (ICHAM) that brought the border issue to the limelight.
The Government had tried as much as it could to bury the issue, he contended.
The BJP leader further said that it was the autocratic decision of Chief Minister Ibobi who was also the chairman of State Wildlife Advisory Board that gave assent to start border fencing along the 10-kilometre stretch of Yangoupokpi Lokchao Wildlife Sanctuary in 2008.No meeting of the State Cabinet was held at that time in this regard.
Moreover, the Compensatory Afforestation Planning and Management Authority (CAMPA) set up by the Supreme Court had granted Rs.30.98 crores to the State Government, out of which Rs.5.03 crores was directly deposited to the State accounts through RTGS in February, 2010.Another sum of Rs.2.65 crores was also deposited to the accounts of State Forest Department in three installments during 2010-11, 2011-12 and 2012-13, Chaoba noted.
The amount granted to the State Government by CAMPA was for the compensation of Yangoupokpi Lokchao Wildlife Sanctuary which was affected by the border fencing.
The Government has been concealing such facts from the public for the last six years, the BJP President claimed.
He further maintained that the truth and facts about border fencing have been made online.
All relevant documents are available on the website of Ministry of Home Affairs (www.mha.nic.in).
Intellectuals, researchers, students and other interested persons may download and peruse the documents in order to reveal the ugly truth of the State Government.
Chaoba contended that the BJP stands firm not to give away even an inch of land to Myanmar.
The issue of border fencing must be brought up at the Parliament.
All political parties, social organizations and other stakeholders must take proactive roles to protect the State's territory and rectify the faulty border fencing, he added.