Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, October 17:
The Working Committee on 2001 Census of Naga People's Organisation has highlighted alleged discrepancies in state Govt's policy regarding the population report of Senapati district.
A committee, recalled of the State Govt giving the green signal when census 2001 was completed only to retract from its assertion when Central authorities announced processes for readjustment/delimitation of Assembly seats based on the same report.
Expressing strong resentment over such flipflop stance of the State Govt, the Committee highlighted that jump in population in Paomata, Purul and Mao-Maram blocks of Senapati district was caused due to displacement of large number of people as a fallout of the ethnic clashes between Meiteis and Muslims in 1991 and Kuki-Naga feud from 1992 till 1997.While the population in these blocks owing to the ethnic clashes rose to 57,203, deflux of Naga populace following opposition to the Govt of India-NSCN (IM) ceasefire in 1997 from the valley public resulted in addition of another 52,672 people to the district particularly in the three blocks, highlighted NPO.
Condemning deliberate ignorance of factors responsible for rise in the population and State Govt's defiance to aspiration of the hill people to live with their own people in Nagaland/Mizoram, NPO referred to nonexistence of District Councils in five hill districts, non-implementation of Sixth Schedule nor panchayati Raj with the exception of the DCs to look after the districts, NPO contended that such existing disparity and differences of opinion/population concentration clearly reflects that 'two totally different groups of people' exists in Manipur.