No Manipur representatives in going border demarcation work

MOREH, April 4: The border demarcation process by a joint team of the Surveyor General of India, SGI, from Shillong and its Myanmarese counterpart, which began from Moreh form November last reportedly could not resolve boundary disputes around Border Pillars No 101, 98, 66, 51 and 54, in the Manipur sector according to a reliable source here. Manipur sector of the Indo-Myanmar border is 364 km long. Local people in and around Moreh were also not all too pleased that the current demarcation process does not involve any representatives of the Manipur government. It may be recalled the present survey is a result of a high level bilateral agreement between the two countries to settle long-standing border disputes once and for all. The team of the SGI, JN Nongkhlaw, who this reporter caught up with at the Moreh SDPO's office, was tightlipped about the progress of the survey, but it was confirmed that the demarcation could not be finalised in areas around certain border pillars, including Pillar No 66 near Molcham. This pillar once existed in the middle of the river Tuivang which flowed east of Molcham, but has been missing for a long time. It has also been alleged that the pillar was actually removed from the Myanmar side. Since the time it went missing the Myanmar army has been making systematic encroachment into the Indian side of the border as well as harassing the villagers of Molcham, a fact which has been brought to public by the press many times, including only very recently. It is also learnt that the joint survey team could not be provided with Indian security cover in the Molcham area, and the same was provided by the Myanmarese army. It is also learnt that during a joint meeting of the survey authorities of the two countries on February 6, it was decided that the representatives of the two countries should make it a point to be present while establishing the positions of pillar Nos 65, 67, 60, 61 (1), 59 (3) as controversies exist around them. In carrying out the contentious mission, neither did the state government think of requesting the inclusion of one, if not some of its own officers in the survey team, nor was it invited to send one, the source said. It may be recalled that the present PHED minister, O Joy while he was still in the Opposition had berated the then United Front government led by Wahengbam Nipamacha for keeping silent when it had become certain that the area of Manipur had shrunk from 22356 sq km in the 1961 census, to 22327 sq km in the 1971 census.