Manipur News

IMPHAL, January 8: Chief justice (retd) of the Gauhati High Court justice Rajkumar Manisana passed away this morning around 10:45 from an illness at the Shija Hospital & Research Institute, Langol. He was 82.

The deceased chief justice (retd) will be accorded with State honour tomorrow at his Sega Road Leimayum Leikai residence at 9am.

Justice RK Manisana was born on February 2, 1932 and his father`™s name is RK Sanajaoba Singh.

A BSC LLB graduate, he started his career as a pleader from July 13, 1956 and became an advocate on July 15, 1958.

He was the advocate cum public prosecutor of the government from October 19, 1972 to October 20, 1974.

On November 29, 1979 he was appointed the advocate general of Manipur and became a justice of the Gauhati High Court on November 21, 1984.

RK Manisana became the chief justice of the Gauhati High Court on January 24, 1994.

Later on February 7, 1994 he was appointed the chairman of the Lok Ayukta, Assam.

An official order appointing him as the chairman of two wage boards was notified on September 2, 1994 and he took charge on March 21, 1995.

Chief justice of the High Court of Manipur justice Laxmi Kanta Mohapatra, justice N Kotishwar, juctice Khwairakpam Nobin Singh, High Court Bar Association of Manipur president L Shyamkishwor Singh and other senior advocates offered floral tributes to the departed soul today soon after his demise.

Meanwhile, it is also learnt that the High Court Bar Association of Manipur will hold a condolence meeting on January 12.

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2015/01/retd-chief-justice-rk-manisana-passes-away-at-82/

IMPHAL, Sep 8: The chairman of the United Revolutionary Front/ Chief of Military Affairs Committee Lanheiba Meitei has greeted the people of Manipur on the occasion of the outfit`™s third anniversary.

A statement of the chairman said that the outfit was formed on January 7, 2012 with the main objective to unite the various organisations fighting for freedom of Manipur.

Like every mountain has a peak, one day the fight for freedom will certain succeed, it said.

The statement continued that no obstacles can stop the movement of the outfit but each obstacle will only strengthen the movement.

The URF has started initiating the process of opening up to other groups of the North East region for the formation of a united force `South East Asia Manipuri Union`™ and has further discussed the fight against `traditional enemy of Indian Colonialism and Capitalism,`™ it said.

The URF also believes that the united stand created by discarding the mindset of only `Meitei-ism`™ and instead committing to the Manipur-ism, will be able to defeat India, the statement said.

It further elaborated on the need to unify all the Manipuris settled not only Manipur but in Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, Tripura, Myanmar and Bangladesh and encouraging the Manipuri nationalism.

It is also time for the Manipuri/ meiteis to discard the narrowness, selfishness and arrogance, it said.

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2015/01/urf-chairman-greets-on-outfits-third-anniversary/

THOUBAL, January 8: Agitated locals of Heirok Part 2 dug out a water pipe which has not been in use despite various appeals to the local MLA and Education Minister, M. Oken, PHE Department and Village Water and Sanitation Committee today.

The 20 m long water pipe was dug out from near the double post in front of market and discarded.

Stronger agitations will be taken up if the concerned authority still remained unmoved. Speaking to the media, FINE Society Club Secretary, Kh. Romio stated that the locals of Heirok part 2 have not received potable water for the past 15 years.

People use Heirok River water for drinking which was clean however, recently the river water has become unusable and the people have been suffering since then. The people along with FINE Society have been conducting democratic movements for the past 2 months demanding availability of potable water to the local MLA and concerned authorities with no result.

He further said that due to their unrelenting demands, the VWSC Heirok Part 2 had released untreated water directly from the river which has become filthy as a means to appease the agitated public. As protest against the VWSC, the people had demanded major repair of the water supply and to change the old water-pipe lines within a month.

However, VWSC only replaced 150m of the old pipe line and stopped further repairing of the water supply. Due to the carelessness of the VWSC, the agitated people of the area carrying spades and pickaxes started digging out the water pipes. When water burst out from the pipe, it was found to be untreated dirty water upon checking. Action must be taken up by the authority against the committee, said the Secretary.

The FINE Society Club also condemned the unruly behaviour of the OC of the police station who came to pacify the mob.

The Secretary further said that he strongly condemned the ignorance of the local MLA and PHE department despite the various appeals made to them. He further questioned the local MLA on his ability to turn the village into a model village when the people are not even provided potable water for over 15 years. He added that stronger agitation will be taken up if the concerned authority failed to take up strong action immediately, it said.

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2015/01/heirok-public-go-on-rampage-over-non-availability-of-piped-treated-water/

This is not new at all. It has been happening all the while in Manipur. The story of courier services taking the consumers for granted is perhaps as long as these services were introduced in the state. Before the liberalisation era, and even in the early years of liberalisation in the 1980s, there was only the government owned Speed Post for the people to depend on for sending urgent mails and parcels across India. This was the era when there was only Indian Airlines operating the sky, Ambassador and Fiat cars ruled the streets, Vespa and Yezdi two wheelers were the only few brands available. Fast mail then meant delivery within a week. A lot has changed since. A surfeit of private airlines has virtually pushed the government carrier out of business. They have also shrunk India in time and space considerably. Not only can a traveller from Imphal reach Delhi in a single day, but he or she can return from Delhi on the same day. He now also has a choice of airlines to choose from to travel on any given day. Twenty five years ago this would have been unthinkable.

This has also meant air mail delivery time has been shortened unimaginably. The best courier services loudly boast of the capability to deliver mails and parcels to any destination in India from anywhere within 24 hours, and at the most 48 hours. But business being business, when the market becomes weighted towards the sellers, the sellers begin to take advantage of buyers. This was happening in the air courier business till only a few years ago. In a place like Imphal, where consumers are not so bothered of their rights, they were ending up not being given the service they paid for. Other than a few top end courier services, there were courier services, such as one called DTDC, which began insisting customers to collect their parcels from their office, as if this was the natural thing customers were expected to do. And people did do as dictated, because they wanted their goods in their hands even if it meant a little extra effort. But today, even those who were indulging in such unfair business practices are having to change their ways because of the entry of a great number of very good private courier services. Unfortunately this change has not touched the government owned Speed Post. This is atrocious, for not only do the customers pay more than they would have paid for ordinary mails and parcels to use this service, but the employees of this government department are paid from public tax money, and they are paid much better than their private counterparts. As in most, if not all government services, complete lack of accountability has made their employees take things so easy, knowing their salaries do not depend on the quality of their work or the success of the enterprises which give them employment. No wonder so many public sector enterprises are loss making. In places like Manipur, they become defunct on a regular basis.

The IFP reported today of a case of Speed Post delay. The parcel in question was booked at a place in Karnataka on December 20, and within 24 hours, it landed at the Kolkata airport. It then disappeared from the internet parcel tracking facility of both the merchant, Amazon India, and also of India Post for 10 days, before the Imphal Airport NSH reported its receipt on January 1, and within an hour it was forwarded to the Imphal head office of the service. On January 2 morning, the internet tracking facility showed the parcel as received at the Imphal HO, and then nothing happened thereafter. At the end of the day today, January 8, the parcel is still lying at the Imphal HO. As reported again, the Imphal HO expects the customer to come and pick the parcel up from its premises. We do hope the postal service authorities are listening.

Leader writer: Pradip Phanjoubam

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2015/01/consumers-sidelined/