Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, March 27:
Besides purportedly fighting for the cause of the people, the newly elected members of the 9th Manipur Legislative Assembly are today fighting among themselves over allotment of official residences by the Government.
Allotment of official quarters to the newly elected MLAs is becoming a serious issue with fisticuffs likely to break out among the MLAs with some of them staking their claim over the limited number of vacant quarters.
Some of the MLAs who have not been allotted their quarters or found that their names have not been included in the list of the allotment have also started raising their voices in protest.
Disclosing this to The Sangai Express, a reliable source conveyed that in the order issued by the Works Commissioner on March 22, MLA quarters number 9/V at Babupara had been issued in the name of MLA Morung Makunga who was elected from Tengnoupal Assembly Constituency.
But the said quarters has been occupied by Usham Deben who was elected from Wabagai Assembly Constituency.
According to the source, MLA U Deben is supposed to stay in MLA quarters no.9/IV at Babupara.
However, when Makunga and his workers approached Deben with the request to vacate the quarters, Deben refused to do so by asserting that the Chief Minister had asked him to stay there.
Similarly, other MLAs who have been slighted in allotment of the quarters have drawn the attention of the State Government for taking up necessary measures to resolve the matter before it snowballs into a serious crisis.
Meanwhile Chief Minister O Ibobi who was in Delhi to finalise the State Plan size for the fiscal 2007-08 returned to Imphal along with senior colleague Phungzathang Tonsing.
Apart from meeting the Deputy Chairperson of the Planning Commission Montek Singh Ahluwaliah to discuss the Plan size, Ibobi also met AICC leaders to discuss the Ministry expansion.
At the moment it is not clear when the expansion will be effected.