ICHAM appeals
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, July 26 2018: Information Centre for Hill Areas Manipur (ICHAM) has urged all those concerned not to politicise the Border Pillar issue and to work together for bringing a positive solution at the earliest.

Speaking to media persons at ICHAM office opposite Kekrupat today, its president Yuimi Horam informed that on July 9, ICHAM and Committee on Protection of Indo-Myanmar Border Land Manipur submitted a memorandum to the Chief Minister urging him to take up necessary steps to ensure a survey of the Indo-Myanmar border issue, carry out demarcation and to carry out necessary survey from BP 80 till BP 95.Back then, the CM assured that he would inform the Centre for taking up necessary resurvey and demarcation works.

The associations received information that a survey team comprising of Ministry of Home Affairs Joint Secretary, Ministry of External Affairs Joint Secretary and Surveyor General would arrive in Manipur and conduct a survey at Kwatha on July 24.It was also learned that on the next day the team would hold an interaction programme with various CSOs, village authorities and political party representatives and as such ICHAM and the committee went to the survey site on July 23 and waited till the next day when the team was supposed to arrive.

However, the team failed to show up and came to the survey site on July 25 (yesterday) and taking the opportunity, ICHAM and the Committee submitted a memorandum to the survey team for bringing a final conclusion to the border issue and resurvey and re-demarcation from BP 81 to 95.Yuimi Horam claimed that when ICHAM, the Committee and the people told the survey team that the present location of BP 81 is not correct, the survey team was adamant that the site was genuine/correct.

After the dissatisfied people demanded the team to go and inspect the traditional site of the BP, the team claimed that they did not bring necessary tools nor maps etc.

They also claimed that they would report all the information they had gathered to the State as well as the Central Governments and they would come for another survey within a month, he added.

However, he condemned the apparent lack of any preparation on the part of the survey team as well as the failure to organise the proposed interaction session due to alleged time constraints.

Appealing all the CSOs of the State to come together and work towards bringing a solution to the present issue, Yuimi, claimed that the Indo-Myanmar issue is not a new issue but has been brewing for some time now.

However, not a single party or organisation took up the responsibility to carry out any survey, he claimed and appreciated the late but still laudable effort of the Government to conduct a resurvey of the border area.

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