Nagaland home minister, Y. Patton said there was a need to maintain Free Movement Regime (FMR) in Nagaland sector of India-Myanmar border but without insisting on the need to obtain passes from the local administrative officers as it would cause undue inconveniences and hardships to the local people.
Speaking at the meeting of chief ministers of the northeastern states, convened by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and union home minister of state, Kiren Rijiju, in Aizwal on Monday, Patton suggested introducing a temporary passes valid for three days to visit border townships located within 16km distance for shopping and other visits.
Further, the state home minister also suggested that restriction on various constructions activities along the India-Myanmar border needed to be relaxed. He pointed out that currently there were many restrictions on various kinds of construction activities taking place along the border.
Patton said it appeared that those restrictions were made mainly from security point of view.
He said those restrictions could be justified along the sensitive Indo-Pakistan border, Indo-Bangladesh, Indo-Chinese border, but added that such restrictions may not be needed along the India-Myanmar border.
Instead, Patton said construction of roads along the border and access to border was necessary in order to speed up development in those under developed areas. He said that due to the absence of roads and other means of communication those areas have become a favourite hide out of northeast insurgent groups.
Nagaland home minister asserted that road would not only act as catalyst for growth and development in those landlocked areas but would also serve as defence road in times of emergencies etc.
Patton also explained the need to continue entrusting the Assam rifles with task of guarding the India-Myanmar border, in view of the peculiarities that characterized the India-Myanmar border, especially in Nagaland, Mizoram sectors.
He said the AR had more than hundred years of association with the NE region and its people, adding that the force understands the topography and the culture and ethos of the local people.
Also, highlighting the peculiarities of India-Myanmar border areas, Patton said India-Myanmar border has not been drawn on the basis of traditional land ownership by the indigenous ethnic groups nor on the basis of natural boundaries like rivers etc.
He said border areas in Nagaland sector were mostly drawn on the basis of watershed, since the Nagas, by tradition, built their villages on hill tops. He said many Naga villages and the ancestral land were badly divided by the India-Myanmar border.
Patton further pointed out that Longwa village in Mon district and Pangsha village in Tuensang were located in the middle of international border, but that did not restrict the daily movement of villagers to their Jhum fields, which were located on both sides of the of the border.
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