Ukhrul, September 24: Putting an end to the first phase of the agitation being launched by Tangkhul Katamnao Saklong (TKS) with the support of North Imphal United Clubs and Meira Paibees' Organisation (NIUCAMO) in protest against lack of required infrastructures in Ukhrul district hospital and irregularities in the functioning of various departments in Ukhrul district, picketing of Government offices have been started from today.

After a series of sit-in-protest demonstration staged as first phase of the agitation till yesterday, the agitating student body locked up the offices of the Tribal Development, Minor Irrigation and Electricity Departments in Ukhrul district from today.

Among others, the student body has been demanding posting of the required specialist doctors and providing necessary infrastructures in the District Hospital of Ukhrul, regular power supply, improvement of the existing irrigational facilities and transparency in the functioning of the Tribal Development Department.

Talking to some reporters at the office of TSA at Ukhrul today in connection with the ongoing agitation, representatives of TKS and NIUCAMO informed that the office of the Tribal Development has not been functioning for the last seven years as the construction of the office building has been stalled.

However, after the recent inspection visit paid by Youth Affairs and Sports Minister N Biren and the instructions given to the officials for speeding up the construction work of the office building, some of the officials were seen coming to the office for three-four days.

This attitude of the TD officials is really despicable, they said.

The offices of the Tribal Development Department should be set up properly and made functional not only in Ukhrul district, but also in all other hill districts, NUICAMO demanded, while favouring that the process of selection of tribal beneficiaries should be carried out only at the respective district headquarters.

Instead of distributing the benefits of the schemes/projects undertaken by the Tribal Development Department at Imphal, the same should be made available to the Tribal beneficiaries at their respective district headquarters, NUICAMO further demanded.

Another point of the contention that TKS has raised is the failure of the Government to send the required specialist doctors and look after the infratructural needs of the Ukhrul District Hospital instead of allowing the health centre to be run by a handful of MBBS students.

Along with urging the Government for taking up necessary measures for providing irrigational facilities to the farmers by ensuring proper functioning of the office of the Irrigation Department, the student body has also demanded setting up of a SBI branch at the Ukhrul district headquarters for the conveniences of the people.

In pursuance of these demands, TKS with the support of NUICAMO had launched a serious of sit-in-protest demonstrations in different parts of Ukhrul district from September 21 to 23 and picketing of Government offices started from today.

The offices of CMO, Minor Irrigation, Electricity and Tribal Development Department have been reportedly closed down by the protestors from today.

However, police intervened and broke down the locks of the District Hospital ad Electricity Department and made the employees to attend to their duties. Meanwhile, justifying the demands of TKS, Tangkhul Sanao Long (TSL) has announced its decision of extending full support to any course of action taken up by the student body in this regard.

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