Source: The Sangai Express / S Singlianmang Guite
Lamka, September 24 2009:
Accusing the State Government of failing to re-establish itself in four interior sub-divisions of Churachandpur district ever since crucial governmental establishments were withdrawn in July 1998, the Committee on Public Interest and Grievances has petitioned the Union Home Minister P Chidambaram to ensure their reinstatement in the interest of the general public.
SDOs' offices, including their peripheral institution such as police stations, high schools, PHSCs, Forest Range Office and check posts, anganwadi centres and co-operative societies offices have been withdrawn from Thanlon, Parbung, Henglep and Singngat during height of the Zomi-Kuki communal conflict in 2008 .
Yet almost ten years after ensuring a lasting peace-deal out of the conflict, the Government still finds itself lacking the very basic form of authority in these sub-divisions, the memorandum said.
The representation submitted by the committee to the Union Minister in early September accused the State Government and the political executive of ignoring governance and administration in these backward tribal areas, thereby giving a free hand to several militants and mafia-gangs to exploit and harass the common people.
To substantiate its claim of the highest office in these sub-divisions still functioning in the district headquarters, the committee has even went on to the extent of identifying the buildings that house the SDO offices.
According to the memorandum, Lengpau Vaiphei's resident in Sielmat housed the SDO/BDO office of Henglep, Zosanghlei Joute's building in Nehru Marg housed the SDO/BDO office of Parbung, Khuma's in Salemveng housed Singngat SDO/BDO, the ICI building in Hmar Veng housed BDO Samulamlan and Rolian Khuptong's building in Salemveng housed that of Thanlon SDO/BDO.
Other than in times Republic and Independence Day, the Sub-divisional Officers based themselves in the above cited buildings, said the committee.
Appealing the Minister to secure the vast areas of the country's frontiers from the domain of the terrorist and mafia gangs, it also said all these vital and indispensable administrative offices and establishments must be restored before additional police stations are created in the district, simply because there is no point in setting up additional police stations even when the existing ones are withdrawn.
The committee has been pro-active in demanding the re-instatement of the Government machineries in the interiors since the beginning of this decade.
They are now expecting some kind of action, at least, from the Government to ensure that sub-divisional activities and offices concentrate in their own designated domains.