Imphal, September 08: Taking a tough stand in the face of the numerous agitations being launched by different organisations over different issues, Chief Minister O Ibobi today announced that his Government will never succumb to the pressures mounted from different sides.

Addressing a gathering at the inaugural function of a Fire Service sub-station at Thoubal today, the CM said whether it is hunger strike, arson or even at the risk of losing the next election, the SPF Government will never commit itself to anything which will prove destructive to the State in the future.

Expressing his strong reservation against the different agitations taken up in the State, the Chief Minister said that the hunger strike launched by the aided College teachers can never prove positive.

Their demands are not feasible, said the Chief Minister but added that it does not mean that the Government has anything against the teachers.

Rather the stand of the Government has been taken taking into consideration the present state of affairs of the aided colleges.

Detailing, the Chief Minister said that at most of the aided colleges, the number of teachers and students are equal while in some cases the number of teachers exceeds the number of students.

Picking Kakching Khunou College as an example, the Chief Minister said that this aided college has 122 teachers while the number of students is just 164. The Chief Minister further said that it has become the trend that once a college or a school is adopted as a full fledged Government institution, then it begins to rot.

The infrastructure is left unattended and the number of students decrease in no time, he added.

Citing an example, Ibobi said that YK College at Wangjing has deteriorated beyond redemption after it was taken over by the Government.

The number of teachers today exceeds the number of students, he claimed adding that the number of teachers is 55 while the number of students is just 52.Taking all the reality into consideration the demand of the aided college teachers is not feasible, said the Chief Minister.

However the Government will try to release their arrears, he promised.

Agitators may be under the impression that the Government will buckle under their pressure as election is near, said the Chief Minister.

This is however a pipe dream, he said and asserted that the SPF Government will never succumb to such pressure tactics.

The welfare of the State with an eye on the future is more important to the SPF than winning the next election, asserted the Chief Minister.

On the demand to affiliate private schools in the hill districts to the Nagaland Board of Secondary Education, the Chief Minister said that the demand can never be acceded to.

Central leaders have already made it clear that no State should cross into the jurisdiction of another State, announced the Chief Minister.

The Government is presently mulling over the possibility of building one fire sub-station in the hill areas.

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