Imphal, May 20: The United Committee manipur (UCM) spread its development programme agenda to Khoirentak village today where an interaction session was organised to take stock of socio-economic problem besetting people of Kom community.

The programme attended by Kom elders from settlement areas in and around Moirang sub-division was held with UCM president K Lanngamba and headman of Harmantlang village M Teba Kom as the chief guest and president respectively while UCM's information and public relation secretary BM Yaima Shah and Sengpangjar village headman Athang Kom graced the occasion as the guests of honour.

According to UCM's HRD secretary JK Mangang, the body envisaged on reaching to remote areas in the hills and plains of Manipur since April, 2005 to assess ground reality of the people and initiate egalitarian development within the spirit of replenishing fraternal bond among people of diverse community.

As follow-up exercise since conceiving the 'development programme' UCM has so far visited and enquired problems in Aishi in Ukhrul, Dingpi and Aimol of Chandel among other places, Mangang said while speaking on the occasion.

In his speech, khoirentak Village Authority secretary T Munerchung highlighted that Kom people roughly estimated to number about 25,000 are generally concentrated in foothills close to the plains.

These Kom habitat areas come under nine assembly segments but neither the elected representatives care to initiate welfare programme of the Koms nor could the community lead its own people upto the doorstep of the State Assembly, the secretary expressed.

Among all Kom villages, Khoirentak is located barely three kilometres from the Tiddim Line with about six nearby villages within the administrative ambit of Churachandpur district while the same villages are clubbed with Henglep AC.

Moreover, these villages fall under Samulamlan Block which is close to Saikot even as Moirang police station concerns these villages, further detailed Munerchung.

While conceding that documenting problems of Khoirentak villages would run upto miles of pages the point of irony is hopelessly expecting the State administration to ever enquire on mitigating woes of the villagers, he lamented and summed up sentiment of the Koms by insisting that subsequent State Govts had been abusing these villages administratively.

Commenting in the session, the UCM president Lanngamba observed that pitiable condition of Kom villages settled in the general area of Moirang undoubtedly reflects derogatory and discriminatory programme of State authorities.

Ridiculing vociferous claims of the Govt priority on development of hill areas by citing woeful conditions prevailing in the Khoirentak villages, the UCM chief contended that until and unless re-alignment of districts' demography is pursued any initiative to extend development programmes to interior areas would be futile and blasphemous assertions.

Expressing strong resentment that future of smaller communities/tribes are very bleak in the face of prevailing condition, Lanngamba fervently appealed to all responsible individuals and entities to unitedly work for bailing out neglected section of the society.

Pledging that UCM would vigorously work for betterment of Khoirentak area villages, chief guest of the programme also assured to prevail upon the Govt on the matter.

In addition to donating a 500 litre capacity plastic water reservoir for use by Khoirentak villagers, the UCM also assured to provide 1000 banana sapling.

The UCM delegation and Kom elders also inspected the sprawling 400 hectare cultivable land and discussed on feasibility of constructing a dam to facilitate irrigation system.

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