Border fencing cost pegged at ₹31,000 cr
Source: Chronicle News Service

Imphal/New Delhi, September 18 2024: The entire 1,643 km porous India-Myanmar border, known for the smuggling of arms, ammunition and narcotics, will be fenced at a cost of Rs 31,000 crore, sources said on Wednesday.

However, sources disclosed that the fencing work in Kuki-inhabited areas along the Indo-Myanmar border will be put on hold for the time being while the works in other border pockets will continue as usual.

According to sources, the top officials of the Home Ministry held a meeting recently, wherein it was decided to halt the fencing works in border areas having Kuki settlements, while continuing the fencing in other areas.

As per the officials, Kuki-Zo organisations had been objecting to the border fencing on the ground that it will affect the free movement regime.

However, the centre had previously decided to speed up the fencing works in Kuki-inhabited border areas to pre-vent the influx of illegal immigrants.

It may be mentioned here that five districts namely Chandel, Churachandpur, Kamjong, Tengnoupal and Ukhrul share around 398km of the border with Myanmar.

On Tuesday, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said fencing work had been completed in 30 km of the border, which he termed the root cause of the ethnic violence in Manipur.

The Cabinet Committee on Security has, in principle, approved the construction of border fencing and roads along the 1,643-km international border between India and Myanmar at an approximate cost of Rs 31,000 crore, sources said.

About 10 km of fencing has already been completed near Moreh and work is underway to fence an-other 21 km of the border in other areas of Manipur.

The India-Myanmar border passes through Mani-pur, Mizoram, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh.

The Central government has already scrapped the India-Myanmar Free Movement Regime (FMR), which allows people residing close to the border to venture 16 km into each other's territory without any documents.

It was implemented in 2018 as part of India's Act East policy.

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