DIMAPUR, JULY 1 : The Zeliangrong Youth Front team led by its president, Titus Kamei met the chief secretary of Manipur, O. Nabakishore Singh on June 29 last, at his Office Chamber Old Secretariat, Imphal and discussed the issues of Tamenglong-Khongshang road and non-relocation of District Secretariat.
According to a press release from ZYF, the restoration work of Khongshang-Tamenglong road was flagged off by the district ADM in the presence of social leaders and the public of the district after the necessary fund amounting to Rs.13 crores was sanctioned by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highway in 2014 with entrusting the task to National Highway Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL) where Woodhills is executing agency.
“But the execution agency failed to begin the work till date by giving different reasons by the government. When the state government miserably failed to commence the restoration work of the said road with reason best known to them but trying to blame the people of the district by stating that the people of the district prefer BRO to execute work is an attempt to justify their misdeed with intention to mislead the general public.
“It is the state government that gave obstacles and hindrances to the overall development of the district by exhausting development fund with all works abandoned without fully completion and adopting delaying tactics for the last many years. The development fund sanctioned for Tamenglong district is actually not for execution of works for the public but as a means to siphon off fund is evident by the incompletion and abandonment of many works including district secretariat,” it stated.
The Zeliangrong Youth Front has been pressurizing the state government to relocate office of the Deputy Commissioner and all the district level offices at the district secretariat which was already inaugurated on November 3, 2011 by P. Chidambaram, the then Union Home Minister, in the presence of Chief Minister and Cabinet Ministers and MLAs attended by top level government functionaries, it sated.
“The Zeliangrong Youth Front and government of Manipur on 28th February, 2016 during a meeting had discussed the matter at the Chief Minister Secretariat in which O. Ibobi Singh, the Chief Minister of Manipur and other Minister and MLAs represented the state government whereas the eleven members Zeliangrong Youth Front team was led by its president, Titus Kamei and other executive members.
“The meeting concluded with both parties agreeing that the district secretariat shall function from the first week of May, 2016. However till date the state government failed to fulfill the assurance which is evident of lack of commitment. The state government in order to justify the abandonment and incompletion of the district secretariat despite the fact of inauguration done five years ago with all money withdrawn has now started giving excuse that the site selection of district secretariat is wrong.
“Why not the state government look for more appropriate and suitable site prior to commencement of work and before all the money are withdrawn if the site is wrong? It is pertinent to mention that the site selection and foundation stone was laid in 2005 by the Chief Minister of Manipur O. Ibobi Singh in the presence of Gaikhangam and other Ministers and MLAs.
“Similarly the restoration of Khongshang-Tamnglong road is yet to commence till date with some excuse which is hard to believe although fund has been sanctioned by the MoRTH in 2014. The Central government intervention into the matter is demanded in order to alleviate the hardships of the common people at the earliest.”
