Bury the ghost of Sadar Hills Administrative convenience
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: March 10 2016 -

Time to bury the ghost of Sadar Hills and Jiribam. If what the Government is mulling over is any indication then in all probability, district status may soon be granted to Sadar Hills and Jiribam.

But this will be easier said than done, for there has been strong opposition from the United Naga Council and the All Naga Students’ Association, Manipur to the demand to grant district status on Sadar Hills.

So far there has not been much of a vocal opposition against the demand to upgrade Jiribam to the status of a district, but there are indications that some section of the people are opposed to this idea.

Tough to say how the wind will blow, but it should be more than indicative that central to the opposition to grant district status to the said two sub-divisions is the question of ethnic interests.

This is what is unacceptable and it is disturbing to note that for ages, the State Government has submitted to the voice against the demand to grant district status to these places, particularly to Sadar Hills.

District should be created or granted on the basis of administrative convenience. Makes no sense to administer Jiribam from Imphal East which is hundreds of kilometres away.

Likewise makes no sense to administer Sadar Hills from Senapati district headquarters which is located a good distance away.

Likewise it should also be made clear that granting district status to either Jiribam or Sadar Hills should not be seen as attempting to please any particular community.

It should be about making things better for the people and the State. This should mean that Jiribam cannot be identified with any particular community and the same yardstick should also apply to Sadar Hills.

Not many would have forgotten the 123 days of blockade witnessed in 2011, when the Sadar Hills District Demand Committee (SHDDC) went on the offensive and piled the pressure on the Government.

Remember those days when the price of a kilogramme of onion nearly touched the Rs 100 mark.

It was the same with other commodities such as tomatoes. And of course who can forget the skyrocketing price of petrol in the black market.

To put things in its correct perspective, this is just a recap of what happened in the recent past and is no way an attempt to justify the more than 100 days of blockade.

Moreover this is again not an attempt to say that the Government should cave in to pressure tactics.

But there is every reason to believe that it would be far better for the people and the State if district status is granted to these two places.

Time for the people to stop viewing everything along ethnic lines.