Special Correspondent
Kamjong/Ukhrul, April 10:
In a landmark move that marks a new chapter in the history of border development in Manipur, Sanjay Seth, the Union Minister of State for Defence, on Wednesday visited Kamjong District Headquarters — becoming the first-ever Union Minister from the Centre to officially visit the remote and sensitive border district in decades.
The Minister, accompanied by his personal secretary and additional personal secretary, reached Kamjong and held a comprehensive interaction with District Level Officers (DLOs) representing 26 departments. The high-level meeting was convened at the Sub-Divisional Officer’s (SDO) office, Kamjong, under the leadership of R. Peter, Deputy Commissioner of Ukhrul. The visit was facilitated and organized by the District Administration of Kamjong, Manipur.
The visit carries immense symbolic and strategic importance for the people of Kamjong, a border district sharing a 120-km-long international border with Myanmar. The district, carved out as a separate administrative unit, comprises 126 villages and 20 hamlets spread over a hilly terrain of 2,400 sq km. With a population of just over 45,000 and difficult connectivity, Kamjong has often found itself at the periphery of policymaking.
Adding a significant political and emotional resonance to the Minister’s visit, local MLA of 43-Phungyar AC, Leishiyo Keishing, formally welcomed Sanjay Seth and submitted a detailed memorandum highlighting the key concerns of the border district. In his heartfelt note, MLA Keishing expressed deep gratitude, stating, “Your name shall always be recorded as the first Union Minister of India to set foot on an official tour in this land inhabited by the ‘children of the lesser God’.”
Among the key issues raised in the memorandum, the most pressing was the proposed border fencing and scrapping of the Free Movement Regime (FMR), which has raised widespread alarm and resistance among indigenous Naga villagers residing along the Indo-Myanmar border. Keishing pointed out that the fencing plan, announced by the Union Home Minister on February 8, 2024, was being implemented without the consent or consultation of the local populace, whose ancestral lands and cross-border ties risk being permanently severed.
The MLA stressed the long-standing resentment among Naga communities toward the artificial boundary demarcated under the 1967 India-Myanmar agreement, originally conceived during the British colonial period. “This unethical boundary has divided our people and disrupted social, economic and cultural ties. Scrapping FMR and enforcing fencing would further alienate and marginalize our communities,” the memorandum read, urging the Minister to halt fencing efforts until a fair and inclusive resolution is reached.
The second key concern raised was the complete lack of adequate border infrastructure on the Indian side. Despite the construction of the Indo-Myanmar Friendship Road within Myanmar’s territory, the Indian side lacks parallel road connectivity — a major setback for development and national security. Keishing pressed for urgent investments in roads and communication networks to improve mobility, access to services, and defense surveillance in the region.
The third demand was the creation of an Integrated Check Post (ICP) and a Model Border Town to uplift the district’s socio-economic landscape. Keishing emphasized that Kamjong has no urban centers and that its district headquarters is itself a small village with barely 800 households and minimal amenities. Highlighting the strategic and developmental neglect, he pointed out that the entire 1,643-km Indo-Myanmar border has only two ICPs, compared to 24 on the Indo-Bangladesh border of similar length.
To rectify this disparity, the MLA proposed the establishment of an ICP and a sustainable Model Town/City at K. Ashang Khullen Aze (KAKA) and Z. Choro near the Maklang river. The district administration, in collaboration with the local village authority, has already identified 200 acres of land and is prepared to allot an additional 1,800 acres. A comprehensive project proposal amounting to Rs. 601.7 crore has also been submitted for government approval.
The Minister’s presence in Kamjong and his willingness to listen to the local grievances has brought a fresh wave of hope among the border residents. Tonight, Minister Seth is scheduled to stay at the Assam Rifles post in Kamjong, and tomorrow he is expected to meet with civil society organisations (CSOs) and other frontal bodies representing the voice of the region.
The people of Kamjong view this visit as a watershed moment. For decades, the border has been a zone of neglect, bearing the brunt of administrative apathy, poor infrastructure, and unresolved historical injustices. Sanjay Seth’s tour, if followed by policy action, could signal a long-overdue shift in the government’s approach to India’s eastern frontier.
As the dust settles on today’s meeting, one sentiment echoes across the highlands of Kamjong — that of cautious optimism. In the words of MLA Leishiyo Keishing, “It is our earnest request to the Government of India to recognize our pain and take necessary steps to resolve these long-pending issues in the interest of justice, peace, and development.”
Whether this historic visit will translate into concrete progress remains to be seen, but for now, the people of Kamjong have been seen, heard — and, perhaps for the first time in a long time, remembered.
