Top officials assess situation in Moreh
Source: Chronicle News Service

Imphal, September 30 2024: Chief secretary Dr Vineet Joshi and home commissioner N Ashok Kumar visited the border town Moreh on Monday to assess the prevailing situation there.

Moreh town, which borders Myanmar serves as a key point for cross-border trade.

The top officials were joined by Tengnoupal district officials, including DC Krishna Kumar, SP Rahul Gupta, SDO (Moreh) Ejaj Hassan, and CO of 5 Assam Rifles Rahul Jain, as well as other senior government officials.

The chief secretary and the home commissioner visited the Integrated Check Post (ICP) in Moreh, where they inspected various facilities, followed by visits to the relief camps at Moreh Higher Secondary School and KLP Moreh.

While distributing gifts to the camp residents, the officials reassured them, offering comfort and promising continued support from the government to address their needs.

Following the inspection, a meeting was held at Moreh Shopping Mall with leaders of various Moreh-based organisations including Tamil Sangam, Gorkha Samaj Samiti, Hindustan Samaj, Manipuri Muslim Council, Hill Tribal Council (HTC), Kuki Inpi Tengnoupal (KIT), Kuki Women Union & Human Rights (KWUHR), and Kuki Students' Organisation (KSO) .

Kuki CSOs - HTC, KIT, KSO, and KWUHR collectively submitted a joint memorandum to the government officials as Gorkha Samaj Samiti called for a resolution to the ongoing crisis, stressing the need for the government to intervene so as to restore peace and stability in Moreh.

The organisation emphasised the urgency of resolving the security and administrative challenges that have been affecting day-to-day life in the border town.

A major point of discussion was the economic impact of the prolonged closure of the Indo-Myanmar border since the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Border Trade Chamber of Commerce, Moreh highlighted that the restrictions, coupled with the current conflict, have severely impacted trade activities, with only 5 per cent of normal business surviving.

Both the Border Trade Chamber of Commerce, and Tamil Sangam urged the officials to prioritise reopening of cross-border trade to revitalise the local economy, which has suffered greatly due to lack of commercial exchange.

In addition to trade concerns, the community leaders drew attention to the poor condition of roads within Moreh town.

The deteriorating infrastructure has worsened the daily life of residents and has been a longstanding issue.

The community leaders appealed to the state government for immediate intervention to improve the roadways.

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