High-level team inspects fencing work in Moreh

The government is trying to find an amicable solution to the border fencing issue with Myanmar in Manipur.

Recently, a high level delegation consisting of members of the Union Home Ministry, Border Road Organization and Surveyor General of India visited the border to examine fencing work along the Indo-Myanmar border.

A delegation of Union Ministry of Home Affairs led by Joint Secretary (Northeast) Shambhu Singh along with officials from BRO, Surveyor General of India and Assam Rifles visited Manipur on December 7 to conduct a spot verification of the fencing work along the Indo-Myanmar border in Moreh.

The inspection was led by the Manipur's Deputy Chief Minister Gaikhangam.

The officials were in the state following the meeting of a high level delegation led by chief minister O Ibobi Singh with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde in New Delhi recently.

Shambhu Singh said the Centre will call on the Government of Myanmar to convey its concerns and find a solution to various relevant issues.

"We have been having a series of meetings. In the meetings we have been raising points about the border pillars particularly 78, 77, 76 and we have been offering them to come and have a joint verification along with the state people who know about the natural boundaries," he added.

He also said that if required, the central government would persuade Myanmar to conduct a joint resurvey of Zero Point.

The delegation also inspected various disputed pillars at the border in Moreh town.

During the inspection, the committee on protection of Land in border fencing, Manipur and the Information centre for hill area, Manipur jointly submitted a memorandum to the visiting officials.

" Normally when you are demarcating an international boundary, it is either following a watershed or some natural feature. Unfortunately we have a legacy here where you do not have that kind of background on which you can base the demarcation of the boundary. So, the net result is that if the confusion arises about the border pillars, then confusion about villages is bound to arise," he said.

India shares 1,624 km-long border with Myanmar and has strong trade and cultural ties with the country.

However, India has been constructing a fencing along the border to curtail cross-border crime, including smuggling of arms, counterfeit Indian currency and drug trafficking.

Both countries are trying to amicably solve issues related to border demarcation in some of the hilly and forested areas.