Will try to solve at Central level if we fail at state level: Manipur CM on SAPO bandh

Manipur chief minister N Biren Singh on Saturday informed the Manipur Legislative Assembly that since the issue of the indefinite bandh imposed along NH-2 by Southern Angami Public Organisation (SAPO) was not a state border dispute issue with Nagaland, the Manipur government and Nagaland government will try to solve it at the state level.
“If it is not solved at the state level, then we will solve it at the central level with central government as mediator,” Biren said while responding to the calling attention motion moved by opposition MLA, K Ranjit Singh on the last day of the first session of the 12th Manipur Legislative Assembly.
Refuting the allegation that Manipur had constructed the police structure at disputed inter-state border, Singh said the structure was constructed around 100 meters inside Manipur’s territory from the border. The area is purely within Manipur territory, he claimed and pointed out that it was clearly seen in the internationally recognized satellite map.
He claimed that as per internationally recognized boundary map, three/four of the entire area of Dzuko valley belonged to Manipur and the remaining part was in Nagaland. However, due to bad road connectivity, tourists from the state also used roads from Nagaland side to reach Dzuko valley, he said.
“It is because of this, some section of people from Nagaland took the opportunity to claim that the entire Dzuko valley belongs to Nagaland,” he said.
He also said that the claim of the entire Dzuko Valley was not by the Nagaland government but by some organizations.
Stating that the police structure being constructed by at Kezoltsa area was meant for swift response to disasters like wildfire and for security of tourists visiting the valley, he said the state government was also planning to deploy State Disaster Response Force, National Disaster Response Force including fire brigade there.
Opposition Congress member K Ranjit Singh who brought up the issue suggested setting up of an inter-state boundary commission where both the states could resolve the long pending inter-state boundary dispute.
Meanwhile, it was learnt that the Nagaland government/cabinet was yet to discuss on the matter.