Fencing work on India-Myanmar border picks up pace, border haats planned

India Today

a day ago

The work of fencing the India-Myanmar border is progressing rapidly, with a key focus on preventing Rohingya infiltration and curbing smuggling. India is constructing a 1,643-kilometre-long fence along the porous international border, of which approximately 401 kilometres have been completed so far.The fencing project is currently underway in the border states of Manipur, Mizoram, and Nagaland, where the open border has historically allowed free movement of people. In Manipur's Moreh, a strategic town on the border, 9.2 kilometres of fencing have already been completed.advertisementAn India Today team visited the Moreh border and saw that cross-border movement, which was earlier halted due to the Covid-19 pandemic, has now resumed.
(Image: India Today)
The Assam Rifles is playing a vital role in facilitating movement and maintaining security in the area.In an exclusive interview with India Today, Director General of Assam Rifles, Lieutenant General Vikas Lakhera, said that the border presents unique challenges, including dense forests and difficult terrain, requiring continuous patrolling. He stressed that the fencing is meant to check illegal activities, not divide communities.The Assam Rifles, responsible for guarding the India-Myanmar border, has been instrumental in ensuring peace in the region. In the last six months alone, the force has neutralized more than 11 militants and seized narcotics worth crores.Alongside the fencing, plans are in place to set up border haats to boost local trade and livelihood opportunities for people living on both sides. The fencing work has been entrusted to the Border Roads Organisation (BRO).However, some organisations have opposed the fencing work, citing logistical difficulties during the monsoon.The India-Myanmar border stretches across four northeastern states, including Manipur, with 1,472 kilometres of the boundary already demarcated.- EndsMust Watch