Border fencing upsets village life in Moreh
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, May 09 2011:
With the border fencing now completed up to Border Pillar No 79 near Moreh Ward No 5, Muslim Basti, traditional lifestyle of many villages located along the Myanmar border have been drastically affected.
Muslim Basti having 315 households with a total population of about 1500 is one among the many villages whose normal life has been disrupted by the border fencing.
The village is now more than 60 years old but the combined course of Lairok river and Khujairok river which used to be main source of water for the village have fallen within the territory of Myanmar after the border fence was constructed.
This resulted from the border fencing which was erected 10 metres into the Indian territory from the 'no man's land'.
The villagers are apprehensive that they would be facing serious problem of water shortage once the entire border fencing work is completed.
The villagers have appealed to the Government of Manipur to take up some measures so as to ward off this problem of water shortage.
Moreover, many of these villagers have been earning their livelihood by fishing on the Myanmar side and many times they return in the dead of night.
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The State Government should arrange alternative means for these people because once the fencing work is completed, their traditional means of livelihood would be cut off.
Noting that many houses of Muslim Basti would be affected in the event of making road from the fencing site, the villagers appealed to the authority to inform them in advance if any of the houses would be affected.
At present, there are only two wells in Muslim Basti.
Generally, they used water from the river bed after digging out sand.
Now the border fencing work has completed, it is almost certain that villagers would be facing serious problem of water shortage.
As such, the Government need to take up certain initiatives like providing tap water facility and digging wells in Muslim Basti without any delay, said the villagers.
The border fencing work was taken up by the Government of India to check trans-border movement of insurgents as well to check smuggling of contraband drugs.