Convention backs re-survey of BPs
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, July 16 2018: Altogether four resolutions including resurvey of the Indo Myanmar border pillars in Manipur and inclusion of various stakeholders in the resurvey works, were taken during a one day public convention held at GM Hall under the aegis of United Committee Manipur (UCM) today.

Speaking at the event, convenor of Committee on Protection of Indo Myanmar Border Land Manipur, D Solomon pointed out that the exact locations of the Border Pillars (BPs) along the Indo-Myanmar border are still kept in uncertainty by the Government and added that there will be no controversy or dispute if the traditional boundary maintained by the forefathers are referred to.

He said that conflicts will always prevail among the people if reference is based on the documents produced by the Central Government as they (the documents) were written by those who have no proper knowledge about the ground realities.

Observing that the Government seems to be content with only attempting to settle the Indo-Myanmar border issue by merely fencing the border line and without actually finding out the real facts and points, he informed that there is no location of the original zero point of the fencing work.

He stressed on the need of giving more importance to the account and notion/knowledge of the villagers residing along the Indo-Myanmar border while informing that there are many Maring villagers who took part in the survey conducted in 1968 by the authorities of India and Myanmar.

Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) spokesperson Hareshwar Goswami contended that the State Government should take the bold step of urging the Union Government to halt any kind of work being carried out at Indo-Myanmar border and initiate a resurvey by setting up a boundary commission of the State (not for the Centre) comprising of stakeholders, experts and villagers affected by the erection of the BPs.

He opined that the traditional boundary mentioned in the agreement between the Survey of India and Myanmar officials regarding the Indo-Myanmar border pillars should be the demarcation made in 1896 by the then Upper Chindwin DC (Myanmar) and Colonel Maxwell, the then British political agent of Manipur, adding that it located the boundary between Manipur and Myanmar more precisely and was also approved by the authorities concerned.

Conveying that he had measured the areas where the controversial BPs stand using GPS devices, he claimed that many changes were detected on Manipur land and the largest change was detected at the areas between BP 81 and 82.On the other hand, veteran politician O Joy argued that the border point location cannot be done on the basis of landmarks, but should be done by proper calculation based on latitude and longitude measurements.

Informing that Chief Minister N Biren had participated in an inspection made along the Indo-Myanmar border line by a joint team of political parties on October 10, 2013 and strongly reacted against the erection of the border pillars, the veteran politician asked why the same person (Biren) is remaining silent now that he is in a different political party and is also the CM.

Meanwhile, CPI, Manipur State Council State secretary L Sotinkumar decried the attitude of the High Power Committee's chairman Revenue Minister Karam Shyam for asking the villagers to bring out the documents to prove that the BP 81 was erected inside the territory of Manipur.

He further asked the State Government to seek the documents through RTI or from the Central Government if the former (State Government) does not possess the relevant documents and pointed out that it is the responsibility of the State Government to maintain all the relevant documents concerning the State.

He also asked the Government to end the dispute along the Indo-Myanmar border through political decision.

Many other individuals from political background and CSOs also spoke at the public convention and altogether four resolutions were adopted during the convention.

It was resolved to conduct a resurvey of the border pillars along Indo-Myanmar borders, to include representatives of UCM and other stakeholders/villagers of the affected villages during resurvey works by the State Government and the Survey of India as well as Myanmar officials.

It was also resolved to refer to the 1967 boundary agreement by the joint survey committee and to task UCM with the responsibilities of ensuring that the resolutions are transformed into action to protect the boundaries of Manipur.

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