India to fence entire 1,643 km India-Myanmar border at Rs 31,000 crore cost

New Delhi: The entire 1,643 km porous India-Myanmar border, notorious for arms, ammunition, and narcotics smuggling, will be fenced at an estimated cost of Rs 31,000 crore, sources revealed on Wednesday.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah, addressing the issue, noted that 30 km of the fencing had already been completed. He emphasized that the unguarded border has been a significant factor behind the ongoing ethnic violence in Manipur.

The Cabinet Committee on Security has, in principle, approved the fencing and construction of roads along the India-Myanmar border, which runs through Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, and Arunachal Pradesh. So far, 10 km of fencing near Moreh has been completed, with an additional 21 km currently under construction in various parts of Manipur.

The Central government has also revoked the India-Myanmar Free Movement Regime (FMR), which allowed border residents to travel up to 16 km into each other's territories without documentation. The FMR was introduced in 2018 as part of India's Act East policy but has been discontinued in light of the current security concerns.

Home Minister Shah has been actively monitoring the security situation in Manipur, ensuring the deployment of adequate resources. Two battalions of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) have been stationed in the state, with around 200 companies of central police forces (each consisting of approximately 100 personnel) also deployed in the violence-affected areas.

In a bid to stabilize the region, the Manipur government has introduced mobile vans as shops to supply essential commodities at fair prices across all districts. Additionally, Kendriya Police Kalyan Bhandars (police canteens) were launched this week to serve the people of Manipur, providing necessities at affordable rates. Of the 21 existing police canteens, 16 new stores will be opened—eight in the valley districts and eight in the hilly regions.

Ethnic violence erupted in Manipur on May 3, 2023, following a tribal solidarity march in protest of the Meitei community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe status. Since then, over 220 individuals from both the Kuki and Meitei communities, along with security personnel, have lost their lives in the ongoing unrest. PTI