BJP ally NPF on Wednesday said it was against the proposal for fencing the India-Myanmar border in the Naga-dominated areas of Manipur. The Naga People's Front (NPF) is a part of the BJP-led government in the strife-torn state. In a statement, NPF general secretary Honreikhui Kashung said the party opposes fencing the border in the Naga-dominated areas "without correcting the traditional boundaries". The Cabinet Committee on Security has, in principle, 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. About 10 km 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. The Centre has already scrapped the India-Myanmar Free Movement Regime (FMR), which allowed people residing close to the border to venture 16 km into each other's territory without any documents. It was implemented in 2018 as part of India's Act East policy. The India-Myanmar border passes through Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh. The NPF, meanwhile, lauded the resolution of the Hill Areas Committee, which urged the government to conduct the long-pending Autonomous District Council elections. It, however, asserted that it opposes "any unconstitutional proposal which hamper the smooth functioning of administration". The Hill Area Committee, in its October 14 resolution, also proposed that to run the administration of the ADCs till elections were conducted, committees consisting of 20 members should be constituted. Among them shall be "former ADC members, experts in local self-government, eminent persons, intellectuals, and two government nominees". The proposal was also condemned by Congress, which called it "unconstitutional, illegal and void of any source of law from the Constitution". Ethnic violence started in Manipur on May 3 last year after a tribal solidarity march in the hill districts of the state to protest against the majority Meitei community's demand for Scheduled Tribe status. Since then, over 220 people belonging to both the Kuki and Meitei communities and security personnel have been killed.
