Manipur News

Imphal, Feb 9 MNS/NNN: Chief Minister O Ibobi on Saturday inspected the sites of Thoubal Multipurpose Project and Dolaithabi Project and instructed the concerned authorities to complete these projects well ahead of the stipulated time.
During the trip, the Chief Minister said that the Thoubal Multipurpose Project has set the target to finish by March 2015, but the Government wants to complete it well ahead of the stipulated time by December 2014.
He said the construction work could speed up and finish it very soon if additional materials were supplied to the project and that the inspection was conducted to make an assessment of the undergoing construction work.
The Thoubal Multipurpose Project was approved by Planning Commission in May1980 after finalizing its estimated cost at Rs 47.25 crore. The project aims to supply drinking water, irrigation and generate hydro power with the help of the Thoubal River.
“The project, whose canal system has been completed in part, would be able to finish within the predetermined time if there is no shortage of construction materials and if improved the law and order situation and provided there is a conducive environment,” IFCD officials who accompanied the Chief Minister during the inspection trip, said.
On the other hand, almost 80 percent of the construction work on the Dolaithabi Project has been completed. As per instruction given by the Chief Minister, more millers would be installed to accelerate the work.
The project was approved back in 1992 after obtaining due clearance from the Government of India but its construction work started only in the year 2006. Its total estimated cost is Rs 360 crore. During the inspection trip, the Chief Minister was accompanied by IFCD minister Ngamthang Haokip and engineers of the department.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/cm-inspects-thoubal-project/

IMPHAL, Feb 9 MNS/NNN: A prayer service for the death of FCI truck driver Ningombam Gobardhon organized by All Manipur Road Transport Drivers and Motor Workers Union (AMRTDMWU) went berserk after a large number of police fired several rounds of tear gas canisters at the gathering at Mantripukhri in Imphal on Saturday.
Gobardhon was found murdered inside his truck at Kohima in Nagaland town along National Highway-2 (Imphal-Dimapur road) on February 7 morning.
Traffic along the Mantripukhri section of NH-2 was choked due to the prayer service.
Heavily armed police led by Imphal East District Police SDPO, Manjit reportedly rampaged through the office complex of the AMRTDMWU where the prayer service was progressing and fired several rounds of tear gas canisters to quell them.
The police said the crowd participating at the prayer service was blocking the highway section as a mark of protest against the alleged killing of the driver following which they were forced to hold back them by resorting to tear gas shells firing.
However, no one was reported suffering any injury in the police action.
The body of Gobardhon was brought here from Kohima late night yesterday.
In connection with the alleged killing of the truck driver, a joint meeting of Transporters and Drivers Council (TDC) and AMRTDMWU was held at the office premises of the former located at MG Avenue here last night.
The meeting decided to urge Manipur Government to arrest the culprits of the killing.
Meanwhile, protesting against the alleged unruly act of the police who reportedly ruined the prayer service for Gobardhon at Mantripukhri, the AMRTDMWU along with the family members of the killed driver and the Joint Action Committee (JAC) seeking justice in the killing have submitted a memorandum to Chief Minister O Ibobi today. The memorandum demands that action be taken against the SDPO and dismissed from service and warns that the union will launch protest against the police officer.
Simultaneously, they met with the Chief Minister who asked them to take the body, one of the representatives of the JAC told reporters.
The Chief Minister also assured them that he would look into the matter and that the Government would take a decision in the next two-three days regarding paying of ex-gratia and a suitable Government job to the next of kin.
Meanwhile, a report said that the JAC and the family have claimed the body following the assurance from the chief minister to address the matter.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/protests-over-killing-of-driver-turn-violent/

IMPHAL, Feb 9 NNN : The 7th anniversary of the “Eikhoi Lairik Ningthina Tamsi” (Let us concentrate into our study) campaign spearheaded by Manipur Students’ Federation (MSF) was observed at Lilong Higher Secondary Madrasa in Thoubal district on Saturday.
Giving the note address of the function, MSF general secretary RN Koireng insisted that the Eikhoi Lairik Ningthina Tamsi campaign was launched with an aim to save the students from the impact of bandh and other strikes, apart from putting them away from migrating the state to other states of the country for academic pursuit.
Koireng alleged that the present education system provided by Manipur Education Department was far beyond encouraging. “The department is indulging in rampant corruption in place of providing good information and infrastructures for the students,” he accused.
He also maintained that bandh and strikes have seriously impacted the academic atmosphere and as a result of this, students from the state are migrating to outside states.
The academic campaign was started on February 9, 2006 whose main objective is to save these students from such mass migration of students from Manipur, he added.
W Nabakumar, Dean School of Human and Environmental Science, Manipur University, MSF president L Umakanta, P Dhanakumar, Chairman, Board of Secondary Education, Manipur also attended the function.
A quarterly journal “Mangal” published by MSF was also released at the event.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/let-us-study-well-campaign-of-msf/