Imphal, September 02 2009: Taking serious note of the report that labourers, engaged in construction work of the proposed Assembly and High Court complexes, have fled the work sites following threat from a UG group, Chief Secretary DS Poonia and Works Commission Ram Muivah today went to inspect the work sites.

The Assembly and the High Court complexes are being constructed as part of the larger Capital project.

According to an official source, the labourers fled and the construction works stopped, after a UG group demanded 3 percent of the total Rs 327 crores sanctioned for the project some two months back.

Around 1000 labourers hired from outside the State were being engaged in the construction work.

However, after the UG demand, most of them have fled.

During the visit today, the Chief Secretary came across only 60 labourers at the work site.

A few days earlier, a meeting chaired by Chief Minister and attended by Chief Secretary, DGP, Commissioner Works and officials of the construction company was held to discuss issues related to disturbance in the ongoing construction work.

In the said meeting, the Chief Minister had assured the company officials of providing additional forces of BSF and IRB as security coverage at the work site.

However, company officials are still apprehensive of resuming the construction work.

Presently, IRB personnel are being deployed for security in connection with the construction of the Assembly complex while BSF for the construction of the High Court complex.

Maintaining that significant progress has been made in the ongoing construction work, the source however, disclosed that besides some difficulties that are likely to be faced in meeting the target of completing the construction work by next year, the present crisis would compound the problem.

It may be noted here that during the recent Internal Security meeting chaired by the Prime Minister at New Delhi, the State Government had requested the Centre for increasing the strength of State police forces so that the developmental works being taken up can be completed in time.

In that meeting the State Government had pointed out that lack of security and extortion demands of the UGs have caused difficulties in timely completion of the developmental works.