Imphal, March 27 2010: Even though the work for border fencing between border pillar no.77 and 82 on the international border with Myanmar is in progress, controversy over the missing of border pillar no.78 between India and Myanmar is yet to be settled.

In the meantime, BJP Manipur Pradesh has expressed apprehension of the Union government giving away some more land from Manipur to Myanmar in its efforts to bring closer ties with the neighbouring country.

BJP conveyed this during a visit to the international border at Moreh in Chandel district where the border fencing has started on Indian side with an objective of checking cross border drug smuggling and movement of insurgents.

The BJP team led by its state unit president, Shantikumar, along with a team of media-persons, visited the place where the controversy is yet to be settled.

The team also held interactions with ADC, Moreh, Lunminthang Haokip and assistant engineer HR Bhartia of BRTF, handling the border fencing work apart from meeting with leaders of Moreh Meetei Council, Tamil Sangam, etc.

During an interaction, ADC Moreh, Lunminthang clarified that there is no official record of giving away the place where a temple of the Tamil is stand to Myanmar but he had the standing order of the high court restricting construction of temple at public places.

The fencing works at the international border was started after a thorough survey by a joint team of Myanmar and India government.

Apart from this Moreh is only a block of Chandel district.

He has nothing do with the fencing work.

He only provided progress report to the government when he was asked to do so.

He also admitted that the controversy over the belongingness of the land between border pillar no.27 to 79 since the missing of the border pillar no.78 is still not settled.

The works of border fencing is done by the BRTF who stationed at the Assam Rifles camp.

The responsibility of the land demarcation of land at the border is upto the government of India.

At the time of survey also no state government authority included.

Assistant engineer of BRTF, HR Bhartia said due to the border controversy between the border pillar no.77 and 79 is not yet taken up for the time.

The fencing works started from pillar no 79 towards the pillar no.82 .

Works of erection of 55 sub-pillars have so far completed 15 meter away towards Indian side from the border.

The height of the border will be 3 meter.

No complaint in works taken up on the stretch of the border of length 6.30 km come up so far.

Approach roads have constructed, he added.

A total of 30 BRTF men are engaging in the fencing work.

The works was begun from 2009 and trying to complete the works at the earliest, he revealed.

President of Tamil Sangram, V Sekhar said that the Angala Prameshwori temple which is now on the Myanmar side after the border fencing was constructed in 1967.BSF who came to guard the border in 1982-83 had fenced the area as there campus.

Since then Myanmar authority has started claiming the land as their.

Since then, they have been urging the state government to look into the matter.

But around two acres of land of Indian site is still lost with Myanmar, he observed adding that the border fencing is being taken up 15 meter from the fencing fenced by the BSF.

He went on to say that for the time being no authentic order to re-allocate the temple come up observing that it would be a right step to settle the land controversy before the fencing work started.

President of the Moreh Meetei Council, L Imobi said if India government continues to give lands with the intention of bringing good relationship with Myanmar, not only the land at Moreh section but also many lands at other parts of the border within the Manipur territory will be lost.

He also demanded to find out the location of the missing pillar no.78 in 1965 before the fencing work taken up.

State government should take main role in finding the missing pillar.

President of the BJP, state unit, Shantikumar Sharma after hearing all the comments observed that the border fencing work is not satisfactory.

Before the commencement of the border fencing the controversy over the missing of border pillar 78 should be finalized between Myanmar and India.

Recalling the instant of losing of Kabow valley by Manipur, he said not to repeat the historic event once again, BJP state unit insist its leaders at the Centre to table th matter in the Parliament.

He also expressed lack of initiative by the congress led government at the centre in matter related with Manipur.

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