Manipur: 28 Myanmarese refugees shifted to central jail in Imphal

Manipur police took the remaining 28 Myanmarese refugees from the temporary detention camp Sadbhavna Mandap in Churachandpur to Imphal's central jail on February 24.

At least 26 Myanmarese on January 25, were transferred to the central jail in Imphal, three days after three Myanmar nationals escaped from a temporary jail in Churachandpur, Manipur.

Speaking on the floor of the State Assembly on February 24, Manipur chief minister N Biren Singh stated that 393 Myanmar nationals entered Manipur between 2012 and February of this year.

K Ranjit, an opposition MLA, asked the government during the question hour if there had been any cases of Myanmarese people fleeing to Manipur from the war-like situation in the neighboring country, and if so, what arrangements the government had made for them.

N Biren Singh said that 393 Myanmarese nationals have entered Manipur since January 2012, in response to the question.

According to Biren, 105 of them are currently in judicial custody, 105 are in detention centers, 180 have been granted bail, and one has been returned to the United States.

Even though all 393 of them have been identified, there are suspicions that the State is home to Myanmar nationals who have not been identified.

As a result, he stated, the government has been working to establish a committee and examine the biometric data and Aadhaar cards of the residents of five districts in order to verify them.

He informed the House that the verification drive has already begun in Kamjong, Tengnoupal, and Chandel.

The Chief Minister stated that two detention facilities have been established at Tengnoupal and Sajiwa, citing legal and technical obstacles to the opening of refugee camps for the intruders.

The State Government has begun the process of establishing 34 police outposts along the border because the Assam Rifles alone are unable to protect the 390 kilometers long boundary.

Biren stated that the intrusion from Myanmar can be significantly controlled once these police outposts are opened.

Chief Minister N Biren responded to another question posed by K Ranjit regarding irrigation facilities by claiming that 46,512 hectares of paddy fields have been irrigated while 1,87,928 hectares still lack irrigation facilities.

Irrigation projects received Rs 616.06 crore in funding between 2019 and 2022.

According to Biren, the Minor Irrigation Department received Rs 254.02 crore, the Water Resources Department received Rs 298.63 crore, and the Command Area Development Department received Rs 63.41 crore of the Rs 616.06 crore.

The State Government has been working toward the installation of tubewells for permanent agricultural land irrigation.

He also said that check dams are being built at the foothills to irrigate agricultural land.

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