Demand for shifting capital
- Hueiyen Lanpao Editorial :: August 22, 2013 -

Some may call it 'obnoxious', 'stupid' or 'unrealistic'.

But we feel that the demand for shifting the capital of Manipur to one of the hill districts definitely merits some serious thought and discussion.

The demand has been reportedly mooted during a joint emergency meeting convened by Land Owners' Protection Committee with leaders of All Tribal Students' Union, Manipur (ATSUM), Federation of All Tribal Youth Clubs, Manipur (FATYCM), Tribal Youth Council, Manipur (TYCM), Zeliangrong Students' Union, Manipur (ZSUM), Naga Women Union (NWU), etc at Imphal on August 21.

Though the meeting was convened to discuss issue related to alleged repeated warnings give to house construction, destruction of houses and materials inside the individual patta land at Poumei Colony area by volunteers of Laipham Khunou Youth Development Association (LKYDA), the attending tribal leaders reportedly deliberated on numerous problems faced by the tribal people in the State before adopting 11 resolutions which included the demand for shifting the capital of the State to one of the hill districts.

As many of our esteemed readers have commented on the news report, such a demand sounds indeed 'obnoxious', 'stupid' and 'unrealistic', on the first reading. But on closer scrutiny, one may find that it is not such a pathetic idea, after all.

Here is our take on it.

The demand for shifting the State capital to one of the hill districts has come at a time when different groups of people living in Manipur are trying to tear apart the State - some in the name of Kuki statehood, others in the name of Alternative Arrangement for the Nagas and still some others for an Autonomous Hill State.

There are no two groups which could see eye to eye on any issue in Manipur today.

Even within the same group, opinion differs.

Nonetheless, one common refrain that every group harps upon while trying to justify their demands is the disparity one sees in terms of development and available facilities between Imphal and other parts of the State.

Even if this justification may not be wholly true, the inability of the successive elected Governments to look beyond the minuscule State capital has, by and large, contributed to the present mindset of mutual distrust among the people.

So, if shifting the State Capital from Imphal to some other hill districts can promote people to people contacts and help in equal development, then why not? Of course, capitals are not incidental creations and they come into being from the point of administrative conveniences of running a State from a single location.

But when that purpose is not being served as in our case, then we need to do a rethink.

Even if the idea of permanent relocation of the State Capital is 'obnoxious', 'stupid, or 'unrealistic', still we can think of having Ukhrul or some other hill districts as summer capital as in case of Jammu & Kashmir.

What do you say?