CCpur correspondent and Imphal bureau
IMPHAL, Dec 15: Media persons who were supposed to cover the visit of the Union Home Minister P Chidambaram at the Sendra Tourist Spot were sent back by the 33 Assam Rifles from the gate of the 33 AR post at Sendra. The AR post detained the media team for more than an hour at the gate and further questioned at whose invitation the team had arrived at the venue.
The media team which include government run DD News team, local dailies and other correspondents of National and international news agencies after denied entry by the sentry post at Sendra directed their coverage towards Khuga Dam where P Chidambaram was supposed to interact with community leaders of the district.
Representatives of various organizations in the interaction programme with the union home minister who was accompanied by the state Chief Minister O Ibobi Singh, state DGP Y Joykumar and other state officials submitted their memorandums to the visiting minister in relation to their various demands and issues.
Representatives of COPTAM while submitting a memorandum had threatened the Union Home Minister to call a 60 hours general strike in the state from 5 pm this evening as the government has failed to look into their demands, however when the union minister denied to receive their memorandum after the threat of imposing a general strike in the state, the COPTAM representatives had to retake their threat and cancelled their 60 hour general strike, only after which the minister accepted their memorandum.
Members of ADC Churachandpur submitted a memorandum requesting the imposition of 6th schedule in toto and the devolution of power to the ADC.
The state Chief Minister had in the presence of the union minister replied that the state government the government has already started the devolution of power in various schemes and programmes and further the state government has already provided the ADC with powers to control educations upto class VIII in their areas.
He further stated that the government is trying hard to upgrade the Manipur ADC to the levels of ADC in other states like Assam on which a member of the ADC express the need of the state Chief Minister to remain as the Chief Minister and not as an individual, while maintaining that the government has failed to act their words as it has been seven months since the election of the ADC.
Intervening at this point the Union Minister declared that the memorandum of the ADC members as bulk and asked them instead to directly send him their memorandum after December 21 after contracting their demands into a two paragraph memorandum.
The Union Home Minister assured the gathering that the issues in the state will certainly be taken up at the Parliament he further maintained that the issue of the PAP will be announce by the centre at the earliest possible.
The Union Home Minister then flew to Sendra where he met five MLAs namely T Mangi Babu Thanga a/c, M Prithiviraj, mla Moirang a/c and state youth congress president and other LDA officials in a BSF helicopter at 9:15am was delayed due to bad weather for almost 2 hours.
There was also a slight change in the visiting union minister’s scheduled today due to bad weather.
The first scheduled stoppage of the Union Minster was to be Sendra with the next scheduled stoppage at ZRA designated camp, Muvanlai and Khuga dam as the last stoppage, however the bad weather played spoilsport and the scheduled was changed with the ZRA designated camp as the first stoppage with Sendra as the second stoppage from where the Union Minister went to Khuga Dam for the community leaders interaction.
Kaimuanthang adds:Comparing to the past years in the state Manipur has witnessed less violence and in terms of counter militancy the best result has been yielded though the persistence of extortion demands, kidnapping and sporadic killings of non Mainpuris cannot be totally ruled out.
Asserting he believe in talks the visiting Union minister for Home P Chidambaram today said at the Khuga Dam IB during his address to civil society leaders, that in the North East there is peace except Manipur and Assam and for solution of the problems we have to talked to each others and not at each others .
He said there cannot be development without peace though the political evolution may take time. Yet we have to take the first step then second and so on he said while terming the recent successful ADC election a right steps in the right direction. While urging the leaders not to look to the past he said the vision of the government towards Manipur as a develop state has remain intact for which peace is necessary.
I am coming with an open mind. I want discussion as that will solve issues he said while adding he will address all the issues including the ADC issues.
There has to be schools, hospitals, good roads, rice, water, health and so on and the government of India will be actively involve in talks the minister said.
While highlighting various achievement of the state government he pointed out it has recruited 4000 security forces, 400 doctors, and 3000 teachers and further asserted that congress government has the first responsibility in every venture and want people to believe in its leadership.
The minister dashed to the Dam by a helicopter today about 1 pm and soon after the interaction with ADC members and other the civil societies like ZEPADA, CDSU, COPTAM, ZSF, ZSF, KSO, besides ZC, MPC, DYCC and the KNO and after having lunch he left for Imphal.
Earlier he went to the ZRA Camp Muvanlai. In this connection the ZRA in a press statement singed by the ZRO Secretary I & P, has said that it is extremely grateful to the GOI particularly the Home minister for his exceptional efforts to understand the political aspiration of the Zomi and other tribes in Manipur.
It said his visit to the camp accompanied by the state Chief minister O Ibobi Singh as well state and central level officials is historic in more than one ways while adding he went to them with an open heart , sat with them , and then discussed their political aspiration and other tribes for over 40 minutes.
It further said the minister assured to take up their proposition to the PM level while appealing the organization to extend cooperation in building peace and development.
