Imphal, December 08: Reacting to allegations of misuse and diversion of tribal development fund by valley people as stated in the seminar held on December 5 and 7 at GM Hall, Imphal, the North Imphal United Clubs and Meirapaibees Organisation observed that tribal development fund could not be diverted to any other project or scheme rather than its projected purpose.

In a statement issued by the Organisation, it remarked that such funds are sanctioned through the Tribal Development Minister who always happens to be tribe and its management is exclusively entrusted to TD officials.

Who loots this large amount of fund is clearly manifested by the luxury and comfort enjoyed by high ranking bureaucrats and ministers settling at Imphal and by their huge accumulation of wealth and properties incompatible with their known sources of income, contended the statement.

The villagers living in far off and remote places are deliberately misled by high ranking bureaucrats and ministers to cover up their illegal usurping of public money, it added.

Notwithstanding the plight and underdevelopment of their own constituencies, the ministers and MLAs of hill districts remain elusive to their electors only to come back at the time of elections with false propaganda that valley people has confiscated all their rights and developmental funds.

If there should be a fight, it should be against the corrupted ministers, MLAs and bureaucrats inclusive of both from hill and valley districts but not between one ethnic group against another, observed the statement.

Only when the corrupted officials are taught a lesson, the State of Manipur as a whole would progress and there would be true love and fraternity among all of us, it added.

Nevertheless, this move of introspection regarding the misuse of tribal development fund is a step in the right direction towards development and progress, commended NIUCAMO in the statement The statement further appealed to all the peoples of Manipur to include all the ethnic groups and communities of Manipur as and when discussions concerning misuse of funds and abuse of power come up.

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