Four Manipur MLAs meet governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla to discuss border area concerns

Guwahati: Four MLAs called on Governor of Manipur, Ajay Kumar Bhalla, at Raj Bhavan and discussed various issues related to border areas.

The MLAs, Awangbou Newmai, Khashim Vashum, and Leishiyo Keishing of the Naga People’s Front (NPF), along with Independent MLA J. Kumo Sha, apprised the Governor about the issues among others the Free Movement Regime (FMR) and Border Fencing. They requested the Governor to take appropriate steps to facilitate an amicable resolution.

The 1,643-km-long India-Myanmar border, which passes through Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh, currently has FMR. The decision to scrap the FMR with neighbouring Myanmar was taken last year.


FMR allowed people residing close to the India-Myanmar border to venture 16 kilometres into each other’s territory without visa.

According to the instruction, the movement of people has been limited to 43 designated crossing points and will be granted to only those who hold Border Passes issued by the Assam Rifles. Of these 43 designated points, nine are in Nagaland.

Several organisations in Manipur, Mizoram and Nagaland are opposing the scrapping of FMR.

Manipur shares a 398 km border with Myanmar. An official said that the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) stepped up India-Myanmar border fencing work near Moreh town in Manipur's Tengnoupal district last year. The fencing work would be done phase-wise, he said.

The border fencing work was undertaken by ‘Project Sewak’ of the Border Roads Task Force (BRTF) which is also looking after road construction in Nagaland and Manipur. The BRTF is a unit under the BRO.

Border fencing is also opposed by some organisations. The India-Myanmar border will be fenced at a cost of Rs 31,000 crore.

Several organisations in Northeast India are opposing the erection of fencing. The state assembly of the neighbouring state of Mizoram on February 28 last year adopted a unanimous resolution opposing the Centre's decision to fence the India-Myanmar border and eliminate FMR.

The Nagaland government and almost all organisations in the state are also against the border fencing and abolishing of the FMR.

The Nagaland Assembly on March 1 last year unanimously passed a resolution urging the Centre to reconsider its decision to fence the India-Myanmar border and scrap the FMR between the two countries.