Imphal: A team of senior officials of ministries of home affairs, external affairs and Surveyor General of India on Wednesday visited border pillar no. 81 at Kwatha Khunou in Tengnoupal district for verification.

The team included Surveyor General of India Lt Gen. Girish Kumar, joint secretary (BM)/ministry of external affairs Sripriya Ranganathan and joint secretary (Northeast), ministry of home affairs, A.V. Dharma Reddy.

The officials interacted with the local residents of Kwatha Khunou, representatives of political parties and members of civil society organisations in Manipur. The officials said they would look into the matter.

Kumar said, "Based on our records, the position of the border pillar is correct but the villagers said as per the historical data, it was located somewhere else. We will see the record and consider the villagers' complaint."

President of the United Committee Manipur Sunil Karam said, "We have realised that the survey will not be a complete one. We want all border pillars to be surveyed apart from pillar no. 81. We took the team to the site where the pillar had been erected earlier. The villagers don't want the pillar to be situated at its present site. The team said they understand the villagers' sentiment and it would start a new survey within a month with Myanmar representatives, using relevant tools and techniques."

The team visited the border pillar, following intimation by Manipur chief minister N. Biren Singh to the Centre to send a survey team to conduct verification on the subsidiary pillars' position between pillar no. 80 and 82 on the India-Myanmar boundary and especially that of pillar no. 81 in presence of all stakeholders.

Replying to a call attention motion, moved by Opposition MLA K. Meghachandra Singh on pillar no. 81, Biren Singh had told to the House on Monday that the pillar was not being shifted.

Singh complained that the pillar had been found to be erected on the hill instead of its earlier position by the river bank.