IMPHAL, June 11 ? The Centre was considering to set up fences along Indo-Myanmar border to prevent cross-border terrorism and armed smuggling, said Union Minister of State for Home I D Swami here today before leaving for New Delhi after a two-day visit to Manipur, reports PTI. Swami, who was addressing mediapersons, also said that fencing work and lighting along Indo-Pak and Indo-Bangladesh borders were in progress to prevent cross-border terrorism and other crimes.
Swami said the Centre was prepared to hold peace talks with any insurgent outfit in the region if they did not put any pre-condition. However the Government?s stand was that talks should be held within the framework of the Constitution. The Centre was providing necessary help to all State Governments for modernisation of police forces, he said. To a querry, Swami said if the State wanted the Centre would sanction funds for setting up of more India Reserve Battalion forces in addition to the present four battalions with one battalion already undergoing training.
However the State Government should try to solve its own problems and maintain law and order because it was a state subject, he said. If they (state) felt that police should be modernised they should do so, Swami said adding the Centre was providing every assistance and required help for modernisation of the police forces. The Centre cannot provide ?any number of forces? demanded by State Governments and Manipur should ask for only the necessary and required force, Swami said.
If the State Governments thought they required more forces they could do so by setting up more India Reserve Battalion forces after getting sanction from the Centre, he said, adding the Centre was also prepared to give any kind of financial assistance in this regard. On ethnic clashes in Assam?s North Cachar Hills and Cachar districts, he said that the Centre advised the State to take maximum security measures to prevent the clashes.
Swami, who had discussed the situation in Manipur with the Chief Minister and other senior security officials said that he would go through all the representations and memoranda presented to him by several organisations before submitting a detailed report to the Centre and it was upto the Central Government on what action they should take. He said some of the representations from students? bodies demanded dismissal of the present Congress-led Secular Progressive Front ministry alleging deterioration in law and order situation. However, his duty was only to submit a report on the situation to the Centre, Swami added.