Governor of Manipur Engages with HM Amit Shah on State Matters
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Synopsis
Manipur Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi to discuss the state's current situation. This marks Bhalla's first visit to Delhi since taking office. He also engaged with civil society leaders and assessed relief efforts amidst ongoing ethnic tensions in Manipur.
Key Takeaways
- Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla met with Home Minister Amit Shah.
- First visit to Delhi since taking office on January 3.
- Discussions focused on the ongoing situation in Manipur.
- Bhalla visited relief camps and engaged with affected communities.
- Ongoing ethnic violence has displaced over 60,000 people.
New Delhi/Imphal, Jan 18 (NationPress) Manipur Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla met with Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi on Saturday to discuss the current circumstances within the state, as stated by officials.
A representative from the Manipur government noted that this was Bhalla's first visit to the national capital since assuming the gubernatorial role in the troubled state on January 3. He traveled to Delhi earlier this week.
“The Governor provided the Home Minister with an overview of the state's ongoing situation,” the official informed IANS, opting not to reveal specific details of their conversation.
Previously, the Governor had meetings with President Droupadi Murmu and Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar in Delhi.
After taking office on January 3, Bhalla embarked on his inaugural tour of the state, visiting Churachandpur and Bishnupur districts on January 7, where he urged leaders from various civil society organizations to collaborate with the administration on peace-building initiatives.
He also toured several relief camps in Churachandpur and Bishnupur, engaging with displaced individuals who have resided in these camps since ethnic violence erupted in Manipur in May 2023.
Bhalla, a former Union Home Secretary, visited Moreh town near the India-Myanmar border on January 10 to assess the operations of the Integrated Check Post (ICP) and the ongoing border fencing project.
Officials from the Land Ports Authority of India updated the Governor on the ICP’s operations and the trade conducted between India and Myanmar. He also met with civil society leaders to comprehend their grievances, listening to the perspectives of various business and community representatives from Moreh, including members of the Border Trade Chamber of Commerce, Tamil Sangam, Manipur Muslim Council, and Gurkha Samaj.
The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) has accelerated the India-Myanmar border fencing work near Moreh in the Tengnoupal district.
Four northeastern states share a border of 1,643 km with Myanmar, of which 398 km is in Manipur. The entire porous border, notorious for arms, ammunition, and narcotics smuggling, is set to be fenced at an estimated cost of Rs 31,000 crore.
Meanwhile, leaders from the Kuki-Zo Council (KZC), the principal socio-political organization for the Kuki-Zo tribal communities in Manipur, convened with senior officials from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) in New Delhi on Friday to discuss their demands and current conditions in the northeastern state, according to KZC sources.
The four-member delegation, led by Chairman Henlianthang Thanglet, met with MHA Adviser A.K. Mishra and Joint Director Rajesh Kamble.
The KZC, comprising 13 organizations representing the Kuki-Zo tribal community, along with 10 tribal MLAs, is advocating for a separate administrative entity akin to a Union Territory for the Kuki-Zo-Hmar tribal areas. Since May 3, 2023, at least 250 people have lost their lives, and over a thousand have sustained injuries in the ethnic conflict between the tribal Kuki-Zo and the non-tribal Meitei communities. More than 60,000 individuals have been displaced from their homes and are currently residing in relief camps across various districts for the past 20 months.
