ADCs brace for a series of agitation
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, June 08, 2013: In case the Manipur Legislative Assembly fails to take a definite decision on empowerment of the Autonomous District Councils to the desired level, during the Assembly session scheduled to begin from June 10, the Autonomous District Council Coordinating Committee would launch a series of agitation.

Speaking to media persons at Manipur Press Club here today, general secretary of the coordination committee Hezathang Khongsai said that they have asking the Government for devolution of adequate power to the ADCs for the last three years.

Apart from submitting a memorandum to the Chief Minister of Manipur, the committee have met and urged the President, the Prime Minister, the Union Home Minister, UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and the Union TD Minister to devolve due power to the ADCs.

However, the ADCs have not been empowered to the desired level till date.

Chief Minister O Ibobi has been repeatedly talking about empowerment of ADCs and ADCs put their faith in the Chief Minister.

Still, the ADCs have not lost their faith in the Chief Minister completely, Hezathang said.

"Nonetheless, in case our faith is not fulfilled during the upcoming Assembly session, the coordination committee would be compelled to launch all sorts of agitation", he said.

The committee would no longer lobby with the Chief Minister or any other authority for empowerment of ADC.

Instead ADC Members would go to hill districts and launch democratic forms of agitation after consultation with people.

Because of objection to the Manipur Hill Areas District Council Act 1971 by a large section of people, district council elections were not held for a long time.

The Act was amended in 2008 with an assurance to devolve powers of 26 different departments and empower ADCs to execute central sponsored schemes.

Subsequently, ADC elections were held in 2010 after a gap of almost 20 years.

Altogether 156 ADC Members were elected and they were sworn in on June 26, 2010. Coordination committee convenor M Nungzar said that the primary objective of setting up elected local bodies in the form of ADCs is to ensure that all development programmes taken up by the State as well as the Centre reach hill people at the grassroots level.

He further pointed out that the ADC Members were elected after braving all kinds of risks and challenges amidst strong and violent objection by some elements.

However, the State Government has been befooling the elected ADC Members.

The State Government has been deliberately holding back power which otherwise should be devolved to the ADCs.

If the Government sincerely wishes to empower ADCs, it can be done without hitches.

As a first step towards empowering ADCs, the four incumbent Ministers elected from the hill districts should devolve power (of the portfolios held by them) to ADCs, Nungzar demanded.

The State Cabinet in a joint meeting with the six ADC Chairmen held on March 11 last agreed to form a separate budget of ADCs.

But the Government has been simply sleeping over its own decision for the past three months, he decried.

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