Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, October 16 2010:
Referring to a press release issued by Choithar village chief AS Angam and Khangkhui Khullen village KAS Rinsem which was published in the October 2 issue, headmen of Nungshong Khunou and Khangkhui Khunou KAS Masayao and AS Samatai have contradicted the earlier press statement.
A press release issued by Masayao and Samatai in the form of a rejoinder said that Angam and Rinsem, acting at the behest of some vested individuals, were attempting to dilute the actual facts of the road construction from Choithar to Khangkhui by projecting seemingly genuine by a misleading statement devoid of any iota of truth.
It clarified that link road alignment was demarcated and road construction work already undertaken in 1988 under the Basic Minimum Service during the Chief Ministership of Rishang Keishing after taking into account the topography of the area and in accordance to the wish of the people of Veikhang area in particular and Ukhrul district in general.
In 2006, the Veikhang Students' Union submitted a memorandum to Rishang Keishing for expansion and renovation of the same road.
When people were awaiting expansion of the previous road, a few individuals from Khangkhui Khullen and Choithar without knowledge and consent of the people of Veikhang area surreptitiously demarcated another road alignment by misleading some gullible villagers and PWD/MSRRDA for converting the public link road into Choithar-Khangkhui Khullen specific road.
Stating that the issue concerns the whole Veikhang area and that all the constituent villages should have been taken into account before taking any decision on the issue, the two headmen asked as to why the decision was taken with the knowledge of only three villages.