Why should ADCs function from the hill ?

Sothing Shimray *

Oath Taking ceremony of elected members of 6th Autonomous District Councils :: June 2010

ADC is not safe in the hill districts for which they are intended yet there existence must go on even if it does not serve any purpose as means of local self government. This invariably seems to be one reason behind the great achievement politics of Manipur government to substantiate the nation's policy of grass root democracy.

If our memory is not too short the achievement of the conduct of ADC election in 2010 are proudly represented in different hoardings of the Government depicting Manipur shining. The pride of the ability to conduct election after a gap of so many years is still reflected in the words of our Tribal Affairs & Hills Minister Gaikhangam during the recent discussion about the functioning of District Councils in the Assembly session.

But what does this achievement really brings to the people for which they are intended. The achievement of government rather brings woe for the people. It has plunges the tribal people more in the wilderness of proxy local self government in Manipur.

The improper functioning of District Councils invariably shows that grass root democracy of local self government in the hill areas of Manipur are ostensibly not healthy even after forty years of passing the Manipur (Hill Areas) District Council Act, 1971. After the so-called revived ADC election of 2012, except for Churachanpur and Sadar Hill ADC, the other four ADCs function from Imphal far away from the local ground.

Here one needs to understand clearly the concept of local self government as intended by the Constitution of India through the existence of District Councils. Local self government is the government at the local level for performing local functions for the development of local people and the area.

Now the question is if the ADCs function far away from the local ground, can there be any justification that ADCs of the four hill districts of Senapati, Chandel, Tamenglong and Ukhrul are functioning as local self government according to the Act for which it is intended.

Members of ADCs due to their distance from the people became immune to the pulse of the people and local affairs. Every government departments related to District Councils are now functioning from Imphal and their respective offices at the District Headquarters came only into the purview of proxy representation with one or two peons and clerks.

DRDA, the indispensable office for the rural people has now out of reach for the rural people as villagers do afford to go down to Imphal every day. Yet for all these, our government is seemingly very proud considering these as one great achievement. To any sensible people on the earth, this is hardly any achievement as this does not serve any welfare purpose to the people.

When things are at this situation, can there be any legality for the ADCs of the Districts which function from the State capital to go on its existence. This rather seems to be a pure mockery of grassroot democracy. If the elected ADC Members have threat perceptions it is the duty of government to provide them with security and let them function from their own local ground at the local setting and not from the far away Imphal ground with valley setting.

The continued shielding of ADC Members and validating its functioning from Imphal can never bring solution but will rather aggravate the situation more towards the abysses.

Reflecting the words of our MLA I Ibohalbi during the recent discussion at the Assembly session it is better that the ADC Members resign from their respective seats if they cannot function from their respective home ground. Their continued functioning from Imphal is a clear case of indulging proxy by the government in the dispensation of local self government administration.

In my younger days at college, may be four or five times I committed to proxy response during roll calls for my friends who bunked (the phrase we used, I don't know whether the same phrase is still in use by the younger generations) classes for some reason or another. To be very frank I did it with sweat because I did not seem to have got the guts like those - so-called brave bunkers who freaked out their time.

Maybe to my limited knowledge then I thought that proxy is related and confined only to student. I never had an iota of thought that the term proxy can be related even to those who govern us. Gone are the days. Now I have started getting a bit of silvery hairs.

And along with it I also found that our State Government is indulging proxy proudly like a model who walks down the ramp with head held high. Sometimes I ponder whether this very act of my government can wipe away the guilty feelings of my indulgence of proxy response during my college days. I know that wrong is always wrong and my guilty feeling can never go away even when our government tries different means to validate the legality of indulging proxy governance.

To the concept of a rural man like me with rustic atmosphere and clear natural setting of right and wrong the functioning of ADCs from Imphal invariably will always be considered as indulgence of proxy in dispensation of civic measures of the hill people and will consider this as wrong in spite of the many techniques played by our government to legalise their wrongs for right.

Democracy is best preserved by granting welfare measures to its citizen. Withholding of democratic measures and practices in one way or another is an apparent sign of centralizing the affairs. When the world is increasingly going for decentralization it is indeed unthinkable that our government is opting for centralized undemocratic approach to solving the issue of local self government.

The inability of our State Government to provide security cover to the elected ADC Members in the face of alleged threat perception, so as to let them function from their home turf, shows the lukewarm policy to the very affairs of local self government in the hill areas. Development and prosperity does not come from hiding or from shielding.

ADC members cannot visit even their home turf as reflected by our Tribal Affairs & Hill Minister why should ADC function from the hill. It is best shifted to the valley where there is presumably no threat to them. We can imagine Imphal East ADC, Imphal West ADC, Thoubal ADC and Bishenpur ADC.