IMPHAL: The fencing construction works along the India-Myanmar border at pillar number 81 at Kwatha Khullen village in Manipur and Myanmar’s Kondong has been halted.
The fencing construction has been held in abeyance until an agreement is reached between the villagers residing in the two countries.
The Indian villagers informed the representatives of the Manipur government that around 30 meters of their land including the Namjellok rivulet, a tributary of the Chindwin River (also called in Manipur Ningthi) had been left on the Myanmar side.
The border fencing along pillar No 81 was carried out by the Border Road Task Force (BRTF) but the works were prohibited by the Indians inhabiting along villages – Kwatha and Kwatha Khullen in the Manipur sector recently.
Since then the Indian authority has sent a team from the Manipur government to inspect and assess the situation prevailing there.
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The government team was led by Manipur tribal affairs and hills horticulture and soil conservation, Letpao Haokip.
After visiting and assessing the disputed areas on Monday, it was agreed to put the construction works on suspension until a mutual agreement is reached early as possible.
A Kwatha Khullen elderly villager told the team that a memorial place of Manipur’s king has been left on the Myanmar side.
After thorough inspections, the team agreed to halt work of construction of border fencing until the responsible parties arrive at an amicable resolution.
Kwatha village, about 117 km from Manipur capital Imphal, has a historical link since 1819-1826, when the kingdom of Manipur lost its sovereignty to the Burmese.
The years 1819-1826 is known in the annals of Manipur history as seven years of devastation, the period of chaos and devastations in the independent nation Manipur.
