- By Aashish Vashistha
- Wed, 18 Sep 2024 05:14 PM (IST)
- Source:PTI
The central government on Wednesday approved a plan to fence the entire 1,643 km India-Myanmar border, which is known for the smuggling of arms, ammunition, and narcotics. The project is expected to cost Rs 31,000 crore, news agency PTI reported citing sources.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that the fencing work had been completed in 30 km of the border, which he termed the root cause of the ethnic clashes in Manipur. The Indian-Myanmar border passes through the states of Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, and Arunachal Pradesh.
Shah has been regularly monitoring the situation in violence-hit Manipur and ensuring that necessary actions are being taken to restore peace in the region, which has been affeceted by the ethnic violence.
The Cabinet Committee on Security has 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.
Nearly 10 kilometres of fencing has already been completed near Moreh and work is underway to fence another 21 km of the border in other areas of Manipur, news agency PTI reported.
Notably, the central government has also scrapped the India-Myanmar Free Movement Regime (FMR), which allowed people living close to the border to travel up to 16 km into each other's territory without any documents.
The FMR regime was implemented in 2018 as part of India's Act East policy. The Biren Singh-led Manipur government has also started using 25 mobile vans as shops to provide essential commodities at fair prices to the general public, operating in all districts of the state.
