Fresh encroachment on Manipur border detected
Source: Hueiyen News Service / NNN
Imphal, July 11 2014 :
A fresh encroachment along the Manipur border by Myanmarese authority has been detected by a Manipur based NGO during its inspection from July 3 to July 7 .
According to Information Centre for Hill Areas, Manipur (ICHAM), the Myanmar authority has encroached into the Indian territory by about 1 km in Hollenphai village area along Indo-Myanmar border in Chandel district of Manipur.
ICHAM president N Rajendro told reporters that the Myanmar authority has removed the Border Pillar Number 76 and then replaced it with Border Pillar Number 23 one kilometre inside Manipur.
"The erection of the border pillar could have been done months ago as it was still fresh," he said, The ICHAM president then pointed out that in the process of encroachment by the Myanmar authority two houses of Hollenphai village have gone on the other side of the border.
The Myanmarese security often threatened the two families to shift their houses.
But instead of helping them, the ADC and the Assam Rifles personnel came and dismantled the two houses, alleged the ICHAM president.
Rajendro further said in the Manipur territory between Hollenphai and Z.Chora village which is 70 km apart, a land stretch of about 15 km long and 7 km wide is going to go to Myanmar once the border fencing is done as the demarcation has aligned that way.
Another 3 km long and 2 to 3 km wide land piece will also lose to Myanmar between Hollenphai and Z Chora after the border fencing.
Urging the State government to form a committee to resolve all border disputes related to Manipur, Rajendro observed the ongoing Manipur assembly session should come up with some concrete steps in this connection.
According to the ICHAM president, the Dzuko valley dispute with Nagaland, the Jessami (Manipur)-Meluri (Nagaland) border dispute etc., should be resolved once and for all and to do so a committee should be set up during this assembly session.
On other fronts, the ICHAM leader said that to ease the hill people coming to the state capital Imphal the state government should construct a 200 bedded guest house in Imphal so that the hill travellers do not waste money in hotels.
He also suggested that every hill district headquarters should have a 100 bedded guest house so that anyone going to the hill district headquarters will not face hardship in finding accommodation.
He also urged the state government to revive the Manipur State Road Transport Corporation so that people do not find it hard to go from one place to the other.
He noted the hill people have to hire vehicles since there is little number of public transports.