Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, November 27 2010:
A review meeting on North Eastern States held today at Guwahati under the chairmanship of Union Cabinet Secretary Chandrasekhar focused mainly on issues besieging Manipur.
According to an informed source, issues ranging from frequent imposition of economic blockades and other disruptive agitation, prevailing scarcity of petroleum products and food grains, hazardous conditions of National Highways in Manipur section and slackness in the progress of rail-line work dominated the day-long session that started from 8.30 am.
It is also informed that apart from representatives of the NE States and top officials of Border Roads Organisation, the Union Government was represented by Secretary (Coordination), Secretary (Food and Consumer Affairs), Secretary of Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, Member Secretary (Planning Commission), Secretary of Ministry of Environment and Forests, Secretary (Border Affairs/MEA), Secretary (Natural Gas and Petroleum Products), DONOR Secretary and NEC Advisor.
Chief Secretary DS Poonia, Principal Secretary (works) Ram Muivah, Chief Engineer (PWD) Lokeshore, Addl Chief Engineer Temba, Commission (CAF&PD) and Director (Transport) BK Sharma were the State representatives at the meeting along with Border Affairs Secretary AE Ahmed and Joint Secretary Shambhu Singh.
Along with dominating presence of these officials of Manipur issues related to the State inevitably figured prominently at the session wherein deliberations were also held on the issues of distribution and supply of of food grains and petroleum products in the region, environmental clearance with regard to various road connectivity projects being undertaken in the region and the rail coverage.
The source further informed that top officials of the Railways also attended the meeting.