Imphal, November 02 2010: Chief Minister, O Ibobi along with some of his Cabinet ministers and officials of the IFCD and PHED today inspected the work progress at the Khuga Multi-Purpose Project which is scheduled to be inaugurated during Sonia Gandhi's proposed visit to the state.

Even though hectic efforts are on for the proposed visit of the UPA Chairperson and Congress supremo, no date for her visit has been finalized, said IFCD minister N Biren today.

The visit of the Chief Minister and his ministers was amidst the bandh imposed by a JAC of sub-contractors of the project and village chiefs of villages submerged by the dam pressuring the state government to fulfill their demands.

Secular Progressive Front (SPF) government is planning to inaugurate the project when UPA chairperson and Congress president Sonia Gandhi visits Manipur on November 10 .

Sonia has been invited to visit the state and inaugurate some completed projects taken up in the state under special packages from the Centre.

Among others projects planned to be inaugurates by Sonia Gandhi include three newly constructed multi-storey women market sheds constructed after demolition of erstwhile three women's markets, a tribal market, and Khuga Multi-purpose project in Churachandpur district.

She is expected to visit Manipur on November 10 after postponing an earlier schedule of arriving on November 4.But the date for her visit is not yet finalized, said IFCD minister Biren.

The November 10 schedule is tentative and is likely to be fixed after Chief Minister O Ibobi's audience with Sonia Gandhi in New Delhi.

Chief Minister is scheduled to leave for the capital tomorrow.

State government had already started taking up necessary steps with regard to security of the Z+ category VVIP.

State Home Department has planned a security strategy involving 5000 security men for the visit.

While raising the security strength to meet the required manpower, state has asked the Union Ministry of Home Affairs to provide 2000 armed security men from the Central security forces asserting that if all of the 5000 manpower be spared from the state force, there will be a flaw in the maintenance of the fragile law and order situation in the state.

State police department under the instruction of its administrative Home Department is planning to call up 1500 armed security men from its different set ups and another 1500 unarmed personnel to be called up from Home Guard and Village Defense Force (VDF).

These unarmed security men will be deployed at Imphal Pologround where Manipur Pradesh is organising a public meeting with an expected turn out of 25,000 people .

On the other hand, Chief Minister along with his senior cabinet ministers, IFCD minister N Biren, Power minister T Phungzathang, PHED minister TN Haokip accompanied by commissioners and chief engineer of IFCD and PHED inspected various components of Khuga Muli-purpose project.

After the inspection, the ministerial team held a meeting with the representatives of agitating bodies at the residence of power minister, T Phungzathang at 11.55 pm.

But what transpired in the meeting could not be culled out from the source.

Comment