NEW DELHI: Amid continuing trouble in Manipur due to ethnic clashes, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) had scrapped the Free Movement Regime (FMR) between India and Myanmar, but in view of the difficulties faced by people, it has come out with a new system to allow cross-border movement of those living 10 km of the frontier, officials said on Saturday.
The officials said as per the decision, which has been communicated to the Manipur Chief Secretary, the entry will be regulated from 43 designated border crossing points where Assam Rifles personnel will issue “border passes”.
The MHA in its order directed that eight pilot entry/exit points would be made functional immediately, while 35 other points would be set up under Phase I and II.
It further said the movement of people from the 43 designated crossing points “will be granted to the holders of ‘border pass’ issued by an authorised representative of Assam Rifles and the same will entail ‘single entry of person’ for a stay of up to seven days at a time within 10 km of the Indo-Myanmar border”.
As per the plan, the passes issued will have to be deposited on return from the same crossing point where the border pass was issued, the officials said quoting the new policy.
The officials further said that the policy stipulates that holders of the border pass “will be permitted to enter the ‘border area’ for the purposes of visiting relatives, tourism, business, sports, official duty, medical treatment, border trade affairs, attending seminars, meetings, or conferences, and cultural exchange programs”.
The MHA order, titled “Deployment of police personnel and health officials at pilot sites of entry/exit points along the Indo-Myanmar border”, also directed the Chief Secretary to “appoint at least two police and two health officials at each of the identified entry/exit points of the Assam Rifles company operating bases where the people would be allowed to enter”.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah in February this year had announced the scrapping of the Free Movement Regime (FMR) along the Myanmar border to ensure the country’s security and also the demography of the northeastern states.
However, the notification ending the FMR, which involved a bilateral agreement with Myanmar, is yet to be notified by the Ministry of External Affairs, a senior government official said.
According to the FMR, people living within 16 km of the India-Myanmar border were allowed to travel across the border. However, according to the new order issued, people residing within 10 km of the border on both sides “will be allowed to enter and exit” on the basis of passes issued to them.
Meanwhile, the MHA has also proposed to erect a fence along the border, which passes through different states. At least 30 km of border fencing work has already begun in Manipur, the officials said.