Two years since districts creation : For administrative convenience ?
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: December 18 2018 -

It is apparent. Nothing much has been done to make the decision to create seven new districts on December 8, 2016 meaningful in the real sense of the term.

Districts are created basically for administrative convenience and if the argument or justification for creating the seven new districts on December 8, 2016, is administrative convenience then no efforts should be spared to ensure that all the seven new districts have the needed infrastructure.

It was along this line that The Sangai Express carried the lead news story on December 17 under the heading, ‘2 years on and Jiri still far from real dist status.’

It must be more or less the same in the other newly created districts particularly Kamjong, carved out from the then undivided Ukhrul district and Pherzawl from Churachandpur.

The important question is, what steps does the BJP led Government intend to take up in the coming days to ensure that the newly created districts live up to the name of districts with the district headquarters equipped with all the needed infrastructure.

Granted the offices of the Deputy Commissioner and the Superintendent of Police have been opened at the newly created districts, but how well equipped are they is the natural question that follows.

How about schools and colleges and hospitals ? Districts created for administrative convenience is a fine line, but this must be followed by works to ensure that administrative works can be carried out efficiently and conveniently.

It is along this line that the memorandum submitted by the Jiribam United Committee to the Chief Minister on September 19 this year should be seen and understood.

Two years is a pretty long time.

A child in school then in 2016 would have finished her schooling now and must be in college.

A 16 year old child in 2016 would now be an adult.

The question is what steps has the Government taken up to ensure that the seven newly created districts live up to the name of a district.

Of the seven newly created districts, Kakching and Kangpokpi may not lag behind much but how about the others such as Jiribam, Pherzawl, Kamjong and Noney ? Are the bungalows of the DCs and the SPs well equipped.

Is the office of the DC functioning properly at Kamjong and Pherzawl districts ?

How about the offices of the SP at these two districts ?

These questions are being raised in the backdrop of the backlash to the decision to create the new districts when Manipur had to suffer more than 100 days of economic blockade called by the United Naga Council. No doubt the seven districts were created by the previous Congress Government, but then Government is a continuous process and now the BJP led Government will have to go ahead with the task of equipping the new districts with all the needed infrastructure.

Make sense of the justification that the seven new districts were created for administrative convenience.

It will defeat this very justification if the basic infrastructure continue to be absent at these new districts.

It would also help if any of the district level organisations of the new districts can point out the shortcomings at their district headquarters, to keep the Government on its toes.