Marching order given to state Info centre
Source: Hueiyen News Service
Imphal, May 15 2012:
The Manipur Information Centre at New Delhi, which is currently functioning from within the premises of Panthoibi Emporium, New Delhi, has been informed to move away from its present location by the Industry Department.
According to reports received from the Directorate of Information and Public Relations (DIPR), the instruction to shift the Manipur Information Centre from its present location came from a top official of Commerce and Industries Department.
The source further revealed that the Manipur Information Centre was not opened by the DIPR on its own.
It was state Cabinet which took the decision of setting up an office for news and information related officer and his team in New Delhi.
As such the order of the high ranked officer to shift the office of the Manipur Information Centre, New Delhi from the complex of the Manipuri Emporium is against the decision of the State Cabinet.
The Chief Minister and Chief Secretary should look into the matter and inform the general public whether or not the office of the Manipur Information Centre is needed to be shifted or not, the source maintained.
The source further informed that officially the office of the Manipur Information Centre should be placed in one of the two Manipur Bhawans located in New Delhi.
However, the office of the Manipur Information Centre has been made to shift at the Manipuri Emporium considering the problems faced by large numbers of Manipuris coming to Delhi in finding accommodation.
Meanwhile, it has been reported that though the state government seems to care a lot for the Directorate of Information and Public Relations (DIPR), in reality the Directorate has been completely neglected by the government.
The office of the Directorate which was earlier located just next to the Bungalow of the Chief Minister has been shifted to the MSRTC complex, Moirangkhom.
The state government had earlier started constructing a separate building of the DIPR near the Governor's road.
The foundation stone of the said building construction was laid by the Chief Minister and present Home Minister Gaikhangam.
The construction started under the work agency of the TP Cell.
But ever since the TP cell was abolished by the Chief Minister, the construction process too has come to a complete halt.
Earlier, the then Information Minister TN Haokip had promised to finish up the work soon.
But even after two years, construction work is yet to resume.
With negligence of the Directorate both at the head office here in Imphal and the Information Centre in New Delhi, the staffs of DIPR are being looked down by staffs of other departments, forgetting that the department is still held by the Chief Minister himself.