Moreh traffic gets Myanmar touch
To tackle visiting neighbours’ righthand drive habit, Moreh officers ask their counterparts across border to steer them left
IMP HAL: It is not right in Myanmar to drive on the left side of the road. But following the rules of the road often puts Myanmar citizens on the wrong side of the law when they drive into India.
India and Myanmar have a free movement agreement that allows people on either side of the border to visit each other up to 16 km from the zero line that separates the two countries.
People involved in the trading of more than 60 items, including edible oil, tea, semi-precious stones and vehicles, often drive into each other’s territory.
The hub of this border trade is M or eh, at own in Ma nip ur, about 110 km from state capital Imphal and bordering Myanmar.
Every day, scores of traders from Myanmar arrive at Moreh on two or four-wheelers to buy Indian goods or sell their wares. While business has flourished despite interruptions like blocking of highway, the inability of Myanmar citizens to adjust to driving on the left side on Indian roads often led to traffic snarls and accidents. “Traffic rules in Myanmar are different from ours. This has resulted in accidents in the past and could cause major mishaps in the future,”Kh Rag human iS ingh,deputyc ommissioner of T eng no up al district, said.
On August 10, he wrote to his Myanmar counter part stationed at Ta mu, the nearest town across the border about 5km from Moreh: “You are requested to kindly instruct all Myanmar vehicles to abide by Indian traffic rules and regulations after entering Indian territory without fail immediately.”
On Wednesday, Myanmar police sent a few personnel to help Manipur police regulate traffic on the In do-Myanmar Friendship Bridge across the border on the road linking Moreh and Tamu. Myanmar police occasionally cross over to make their citizens — habituated to driving on the right side — to be on the “Indian right ride”.
“The Myanmar police are very cooperative and have been instructing drivers in their language to be on the left side of the road,” an officer in Moreh said.
A British colony until 1948, Myanmar used to drive on the left side of the road. But on December 6,1970, it suddenly made a switch to the right.
Tengnoupal district superintendent of police S Ibomcha said the traffic police has put up hoardings at the border town in Burmese language to assist Myanmar citizens. Also, a traffic sub-inspector has been assigned to head traffic control at Moreh for 12 hours starting at 6am.