New Delhi, July 24 2010: Manipur Chief Minister O Ibobi drew the attention of the Prime Minister and Chairman of Planning Commission Dr Manmohan Singh to seriously consider allowing Manipur to import food grains and petroleum products from neighbouring Myanmar through the Moreh-Tamu sector of the Indo-Myanmar border.

Attending the 55th Meeting of the National Development Council held at Vigyan Bhavan here on Saturday, the Manipur Chief Minister stated that a Land Customs Station (LCS) with basic infrastructure facilities like warehouse and weighbridge was established at Moreh, the border town of India with the assistance of the Ministry of Commerce.

Informing that 45 acres of land at Moreh was handed over to the Department of Border Management, Ministry of Home Affairs for establishing an Integrated Check Post (IPC); he urged the Union Home Minister for expediting the setting up of the ICP which would give a meaning to the Look East policy of the Government of India.

Manipur Chief Minister also stated that Manipur shared a long and porous international border with Myanmar and there was unrestricted cross-border movement of militants and smugglers.

State Government had already proposed to the Ministry of Home Affairs for fencing of the Indo-Myanmar border.

He drew the attention of the Centre for considering the proposal seriously so that effective border management would ensure to check militancy and restore normalcy in Manipur and other North East States .

He also requested the Centre for deployment of Border Security Forces along the border for effective surveillance and better border management.

Manipur Chief Minister emphasized the need for more extensive roads especially in the North Eastern States.

He pointed out the acute shortage of essential commodities due to extremely poor condition of NH-39 and NH-53 in Manipur.

He said that the main reason for the poor state of affairs was inadequate allocation of funds and lack of adequate manpower and equipment with Border Road Organization.

Terming it as a good initiative for quick upgradation of the National Highways in Manipur; he supported the Mid-Term Appraisal of the 11th Plan which laid emphasis on speeding up implementation of National Highway Development Programme to achieve a completion rate of 20 Kms oh highway per day.

He underlined that the uncertainties and scarcities arising out of economic blockades of National Highways, the life-lines of Manipur State needed to be addressed on topmost priority by upgradation of NH-53 and NH-150 to all weather and double lane highways.

Since road projects were capital intensive by nature, he stated that timely flow of funds to the implementing agencies should be ensured by the Ministry of Shipping, Road Transport and Highways.

Stating that poor connectivity was one of the root causes impacting on industrialization; Manipur Chief Minister stressed the need for sustained and rapid road development in the North Eastern Region.

He proposed restructuring of the Special Accelerated Road Development Programme and providing additional funds for expediting completion of roads already taken under the ambitious programme.

Shri O.Ibobi Singh made a special mention for expediting completion of railway projects taken up in the NE region.

He drew the attention of the Centre to complete the railway line from Jiribam to Tupul in Manipur within 2014 and its extension upto Imphal within 2016 and to extend the line upto Moreh on the Indo-Myanmar border.

Referring to health sector in Manipur; Manipur Chief Minister stated that the Government could provide better health care facilities with strengthening primary health centres in the rural in the last three years of the 11th Plan.

He said that there was shortage of specialist doctors and nurses in Manipur.

He drew the attention of the Centre for making special arrangement for reservation of seats for the students from the North East in the admission to post graduate courses in different medical colleges.

He requested the Planning commission to continue providing funds for the Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences (JNIMS) at Imphal.

Manipur Chief Minister stated that projects under the Backward Regions Grant Fund (BRGF) were implemented in three hill districts of Manipur namely Tamenglong, Chandel and Churachandpur.

Since the programme aimed at bridging the development gaps and addressing backwardness; he stressed the urgent need for extending the programme to the remaining hill districts namely Ukhrul and Senapati.

Manipur Chief Minister attended the meeting with the Deputy Chairman of Manipur State Planning Board Shri Bijoy Koijam and the Manipur chief Secretary D.S Poonia.

Prime Minister, Dr.Manmohan Singh presided over the meeting of the 55th National Development Council held at the Plenary Hall of Vigyan Bhavan on July 24, 2010 .

Besides full time Members, Union Finance Minister, Shri Pranab Mukherjee, Human Resource Development Minister, Shri Kapil Sibal, Agriculture Minister, Shri Sharad Pawar, Railway Minister, Ms.Mamata Banerjee, Home Minister, Shri P.Chidambaram, Deputy Chairman Planning Commission, Mr Montek Singh Ahluwalia and Minister of State for Planning, Shri V.Narayanaswamy were also participate.

Chief Ministers from all the States, senior Central and State Government officials took part in the day long meeting which began at 09.30 AM.

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