CSOs Kpi ready to boycott I-Day if Govt fails to fully empower Kangpokpi district
Source: The Sangai Express
Kangpokpi, August 07 2019:
The BJP-led coalition Govt is likely to catch up with another big headache over a sensitive district issue as the Civil Society Organizations of Kangpokpi District once again rolled up their sleeves to unbolt its agitations door alleging repeated disloyalty of the BJP Government in spite of its promises to empower Kangpokpi District wholly.
Earlier, the CSOs of Kangpokpi District had on several occasions called various agitations including total shutdown demanding empowerment of Kangpokpi District but had withdrawn on every occasion after the assurance and commitment of the State Govt to fulfill their demands.
Now, the CSOs of Kangpokpi in its joint meeting held on August 5 at Kangpokpi DHQs decided not to back away with only assurance and commitment unless all necessary official orders are issued in principle while it also unanimously decided to begin its agitation by boycotting the auspicious Independence Day celebration followed by various other forms of intense agitations shortly in case the Government fails to issue official order with regards to its demands prior to Independence Day.
Recalling the tolerance endured by the people of Kangpokpi in the past, Thangminlen Kipgen, spokesperson of CSOs of Kangpokpi said that the CSOs of Kangpokpi had served ultimatum to the State Govt for the implementation of all the necessary powers and functions to fully empower the district before November 8, 2017 and declared to impose 36-hours total shutdown on NH-2 (Imphal-Dimapur road) and NH-37 (Imphal-Jiribam road) from November 15, 2017 but it was withdrawn after the then Chief Minister in-charge Th Biswajit on behalf of the Government assured to fulfill their demands within the month of November 2017.However, the assurance remain only in name not in principle even after a year, Thangminlen Kipgen added and recalled that unable to bear further the repeated disloyalty of the BJP Govt in spite of its promises to empower Kangpokpi District wholly, the civil society organizations of Kangpokpi District decided to impose another 36 hours total shutdown in the entire District from August 9 in 2018 but they had to back away again after a sincere and committed intervention by Minister Nemcha Kipgen while adding that till now all the assurance of the Government remained disloyal.
The Charter of Demands of CSOs Kangpokpi include all development funds for Kangpokpi District to be implemented by DC Kangpokpi; Salaries of all Govt employees to be implemented by DC Kangpokpi; Rationalizing of Police Jurisdiction of Kangpokpi District; return of all utilized teachers under ZEO Kangpokpi and no further implementation of inter-district utilization; upgrading of Sub-Treasury office to Treasury office; full functioning of CMO Office and District Hospital; full functioning of all SDO Blocks; full functioning of CHC Saikul and complete and full functioning of DRDA Kangpokpi District.
Thangminlen Kipgen said that instead of fulfilling their demands, the district is facing many shortcomings which has caused immense inconvenience in the administration, completely contradicting the very principles in which the new districts were created.
He also pointed out that SDO Kangpokpi has no adequate staffs and no DDO power till date and many departments incuding Fishery are yet to be installed in the district while many other District Level Officers such as ICDS/DPO, District Child Protection Officer (DCPO), and Agriculture Officer are still functioning from Senapati District.
The CSOs Kangpokpi Spokesperson continue to point out that the Chief Medical Officer Kangpokpi has no proper office till date apart from insufficient doctors, staff and infrastructures of the District Hospital.
He further said that owing to non-installation of separate DPO under Social Welfare Department, many welfare schemes are unable to implement in the district.
"After much tolerance and patience, we have now decided not to back away with the Government assurance and commitment unless all necessary official orders are issued with regards to the mentioned shortcomings in the district and the charter of demands", he added.
He further cautioned that if all the demands are not met with official orders prior to the Independence Day, the auspicious occasion at Kangpokpi will be boycotted in the form of 36 hours total shutdown from 6 am of August 15 till 6 pm the next day while the two important National Highways - NH-2 (Imphal-Dimapur) road and NH-37 (Imphal-Jiribam) road will be shutdown totally.
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