Rectify Olympian Park's official address: ATSUM
Source: Chronicle News Service

Kangpokpi, January 21 2023: Claiming that the recently opened Olympian Park is legally and technically located in a hill district, All Tribal Students' Union Manipur (ATSUM) had urged the state government to rectify the official address of the much-touted Olympian Park.

ATSUM legal secretary Vipuni Ruhmai stated that people of Manipur including the hill people welcome the recently opened Olympian Park which was handed over to the public by chief minister as a tribute to the 19 Olympians from the state.

However, the government's attitude over the park's official address does not get down well with the hill people as the whole gamut comes as an insult to them, he said.

He asserted that the official address of the Olympian Park is given as Sangaithel, Imphal West whereas the park is actually located in the hill district of Kangpokpi.

As such the official address of the park given by the government as Imphal West left many of the hill people of the area dumbfounded, he added.

Claiming that the land where the park stood is a hill land, the ATSUM legal secretary pointed out that the land was donated by the local land owner to the Sericulture department and the government later acquired it from Sericulture department to build the park.

He also pointed out that the land was not donated to Sangaithel village by the owner but to the government, therefore, the official address of the park need not bear the name of Sangaithel village while adding that the land and the park where it stands must bear the name of the village and the district that donated it.

Vipuni also pointed out that the policy of the government to locate all its major projects in the valley has to change, and contended that there are many major projects of state government which can be executed in valley districts.

As such, the government should spare the Olympian Park to be officially located in a hill district.

"What harm is there if one of such projects is located in the hill district, after all, the Olympian Park is legally, technically and geographically located in a hill district," he reiterated.

The secretary further urged the state government to rectify its oversight over the Olympian Park's official address at the earliest.

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