Source: Hueiyen News Service
Imphal, November 29 2010:
Foundation stone for construction of "Peace and Integrity Pillar" to keep up the spirit of protecting the Indo-Myanmar border with the concerted effort of harmony and peaceful co-existence among the communities was laid today at Moreh in front of the police station.
Works minister K Ranjit and MLA Bijoy Koijam, deputy chairman of the state planning board, laid the foundation stone.
They were the chief guest and president of the function which was organized by All Community Organisation.
Government had sanctioned ' 30 lakh for erecting the pillar, said work minister K Ranjit while addressing the gathering as chief guest.
He said that if the pillar be erected with a true spirit, peace will prevail in Moreh.
People belonging to different communities will live in harmony for all the time.
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Asserting that some few section of the people are trying to break the harmony of the people by spewing communal venom, the minister cautioned from such anti-social activists.
Hatred brings no merit in society, he said.
He asked what good had been brought by the ethnic and communal clashes which the people of the state had witnessed in the past except the hue and cry of the displaced and lost families that still haunt the minds of the victims.
Talking on the development of the Indo-Myanmar section of NH-39, Ranjit said that ambassadors of the Asian countries who visited the state on September 20 had given a green signal for the upgradation of the highway into an international highway.
The important work now is to improve the condition of the road.
He also appealed to underground groups and their frontal organisations not to give any hindrance in taking up road improvement works keeping in mind that neighbouring states like Nagaland and Mizoram are lobbying to make the international highway pass through their states and for shifting of the international trade centre to their states.
If the state is unable to make a headway in the improvement works, the state will lose the opportunity of having an international highway and also the benefits of border trade, he said.
MLA Bijoy Koijam, in his speech as president of the function called upon the people of the border town to forget all the past ugly events and start a new journey of co-existence so that the town is developed as an international trade hub.
"Let the to-be erected pillar be the standing symbol of peace and harmony," he said.
He further said that Central government has agreed to sanction ' 60 crore, ' 10 crore each for the Autonomous District Councils.
The utilization of the funds is upto the power of the ADCs.
They can use in developmental works like improvement of roads, play grounds, community halls or other development works.
The only need is to prepare Draft Project Proposals for works, he added.