To restore permanent peace in the strife torn state of Manipur and put an end to incidents of ethnic violence, the Central government has announced fencing of the entire stretch of 1,643 km porous India-Myanmar border, known for smuggling of arms, ammunition and narcotics. The cost of the mammoth exercise is estimated to be around Rs 31,000 crore.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah, while briefing media persons said that fencing work had been completed in 30 km of the border, non-existence of he termed as the root cause of ethnic violence in Manipur.
The India-Myanmar border stretches through four states of Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh.
The Cabinet Committee on Security had, 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.
Shah informed that another major measure initiated to restore peace, include the Central government scrapping the India-Myanmar Free Movement Regime (FMR), which allowed 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.
He further said that two battalions of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) had already been deployed in Manipur while around 200 companies (about 100 personnel in each company) of central police forces were also deployed.
The Union Home Minister further said unless there was a dialogue between hill-majority Kukis and Valley-majority Meiteis in Manipur, no solution would be reached, and hoped that the government would soon be able to control the situation.
He said the government had prepared a roadmap to establish peace and that it successfully completed the deployment of Central Reserve Police Force personnel at strategic locations across Manipur.
Amit Shah said the Centre concluded 11 peace agreements with different militant organisations under which 10,900 people have given up arms and joined the mainstream. He also informed that the government was talking to only one organisation left to join the mainstream.
Asked whether Prime Minister Narendra Modi would visit Manipur, an issue that has been repeatedly raised by the Opposition, Shah said it would be known to everyone when the Prime Minister would do so.
The Manipur government has started using 25 mobile vans as shops to provide essential commodities at fair prices to the general public. These shops on wheels are operating in all districts of Manipur, stated reports.
Further, the Kendriya Police Kalyan Bhandars (KPKB, police canteens) have also been opened to provide essential commodities to people of Manipur at fair prices.
In addition to the 21 such existing police canteens, 16 new stores are being opened. Of the 16 new police canteens, eight will be in the valley districts of Manipur, and the remaining eight in hilly areas.
Ethnic violence started in Manipur on May 3 last year after a tribal solidarity march in the hill districts of the state to protest against the majority Meitei community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe status.
Since then, over 220 people belonging to both the Kuki and Meitei communities and security personnel have been killed in the continuing violence.
