Imphal, May 20: Even as it started enforcing economic blockade along the national highways leading to Manipur since last night, All Tribal Students' Union, Manipur (ATSUM) has explained reasons and factors that irked them.

It said ATSUM in particular and the whole tribal community in Manipur have every reason to be deeply hurt, displeased and even get annoyed with the Manipur Government as the latter had failed to fulfill the tribals' hope and aspiration saying that the state govt did not keep its promises and commitments.

Divulging point by point in a statement issued to this Network , ATSUM said reservation for the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (SC/ST) has been a litigious issue in Manipur since its inception in 1972."The Manipur Reservation of Vacancies in the Posts and Services (SC-ST) Bill 2006 has certain loopholes," ATSUM pointed out.

Due to this reason ATSUM had approached the Governor of Manipur requesting him not to give his assent in its present form to which the Governor obliged by sending back the Bill to the State Assembly for reconsideration, it said adding otherwise the law that was meant to protect the tribals' interest would harm them in the long run.

ATSUM also said that it had given its comments and reasons on the 2006 Bill point by point to the State Govt but instead ,''to our surprise the State Govt in the 2007 Bill added an entirely new clause under Section 18A and 18B that gives protection of action in good faith." ATSUM asked the meaning of in good faith and for how far its meaning holds.''We wonder the very purpose of having a law if the offenders are to be exempted if a person is committing the mistake in good faith," it questioned.

On the demand of a separate Directorate of Education for hill areas, ATSUM said that it had been prompted by the fact that the condition of the education in the hill areas is pathetic.

ATSUM then said that instead of obliging to its demand the State Govt had created an Addl Director (Hills) and "that too could not function properly" owing to some groups who are making all attempts in the Secretariat to sabotage its smooth function ing.

Regarding the Tribal Development, ATSUM said it had been demanding the decentralisation of the Dept which was created exclusively for the welfare of the tribal people.

"The State Govt agreed to look into this genuine matter in principle but no concrete development is seen in this regard inspite of its repeated promises which itself is a great injustice".

"The term Panel List with regard to the recently conducted recruitment of Science and Arts graduate teachers is not created nor demanded by ATSUM but promised by the State Govt when it fails to implement it promise of giving 50% of the total vacant posts to the tribals to recovers its losses," it asserted, adding, " the State Cabinet has even agreed to extend the said List beyond the normal 10% only to review and rescind it the next day at the advise of some officials with vested interest." ATSUM rued that all were happy when the MU was upgraded to the Central University level but " what will be the fates of the tribal students when their reservation will come down to many folds?." On contract basis teachers, ATSUM said it was already agreed that services of teachers engaged on contract basis will be utilised until adequate replacement is made and also that only "some of the graduate teachers of both Science and Arts were posted in the hills although all of the 306 Maths and 76 Bio Sc teachers recruited were meant for the hills only'.

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