Show documents to prove BP 81 moved inside State : Shyam
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, July 06 2018:
A visit by a Ministerial team led by Revenue Minister Karam Shyam to ascertain the factual position of the border pillar at Kwatha Khunou, far from satisfying the local people left them bemused and confused, as the Minister pointedly asked the people if they have any documentary proof to show that the border pillar has indeed been moved into the side of Manipur.
Verbal contention that BP No 81 has been installed within the territory of Manipur would not be enough, Karam Shyam said and asked the villagers if they have any document to support their contention.
Other members of the team included Water Resources & YAS Minister Letpao Haokip and TA & Hills Minister N Kayisii.
Assembly Deputy Speaker K Robindro, MLAs Th Satyabrata Singh, K Leishiyo, Heikham Dingo Singh and D Korungthang along with Special Secretary Home Kh Raghumani Singh, Revenue Secretary T Ranjit Singh and Deputy Secretary Y Rajen; Tengnoupal DC A Tombikanta and SP Dr S Ibomcha and other officials concerned accompanied the team during the inspection.
As chairman of the high power Ministerial committee, Karam Shyam said that the present Government is very much concerned about the border issue and the allegation that border pillars have been erected 2/3 Kms within the territory of Manipur.
"We will be submitting a report to the Government so that it can take a decision and work in the interest of the public", he stated while briefing media persons.
The Ministerial team then raised a number of questions to the local villagers.
Karam Shyam further enquired the villagers whether they saw installation of BP No 81 .
"We were very young when BP No 81 was installed but our parents and elders told us that the spot where the BP No 81 stands today is not the correct spot.
BP No 81 which stands today was installed much later by officials of India and Myanmar after bringing it thousands of metres within the territory of Manipur", the villagers asserted.
They even suggested the Ministerial team to go together to the spot where the BP No 81 stood in the past and its remnants still exist.
But Karam Shyam maintained that the spot where the border pillar stood in the past was immaterial and it could not serve as evidence.
He said that officials of the Survey of India and Burmese officials held a meeting at Rangoon on March 10, 1967.As agreed at the meeting, installation of border pillars started on May 30 same year after mapping the Indo-Myanmar border.
The border pillars were installed in accordance with specific rules after measuring both longitude and latitude.
Border pillars cannot be installed at any place one wishes.
That is why BP No 81 is inscribed '1969-70', Shyam said.
When O Ibobi was the Chief Minister, the State Government wrote to the Central Government to construct border fence over a length of 10 Kms from BP no 79 to BP No 81 which implies that BP No 81 was already there, said the Revenue Minister.
On the other hand, the aggrieved people of Kwatha Khunou expressed strong resentment against the failure of the State Government and Opposition parties to take up a single concrete action against blatant encroachment into the territory of Manipur by Myanmar.
They said that they would either demolish the BP No 81 as well as the subsidiary border pillars or re-erect them in the middle of nearby road.