Delegate power to dist Hqs: Ram Muivah
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, August 05 2022:
MLA from Ukhrul Assembly Constituency Ram Muivah has today called on the need to delegate more power and authority to the district headquarters as it would be really inconvenient for the people living in the far flung areas to come to Imphal to get their cases addressed.
Apart from the need to delegate power, the NPF MLA also asked whether the office of Tribal Affairs and Hills is actually functioning or not at Ukhrul as well as the condition of the office and staff quarters of the said department.
The question was raised to Tribal Affairs and Hills Minister Letpao Haokip.
Raising the question, the MLA asked whether the TA and Hills office has indeed been lying defunct for a long time or not and whether it is true that the office and quarters of the staff are in dilapidated conditions.
The MLA further asked whether there are any plans to renovate the same and the timeline for its completion.
Responding to the queries, Letpao said that the there is no plan as such at the moment to renovate the office and quarters of the staff.
'It is an old building and there is no existing plan to renovate the office and staff quarters,' said the Minister.
The MLA also questioned whether there is any shortage of staff and if so the plan of the Government to fill in the vacant posts.
To this Letpao answered that preparation is underway to fill in vacant posts.
Stating that it is not only the TA and Hills Department which is under staffed, the MLA said half the Government offices at Ukhrul are ill staffed.
Most of the Government offices at Jessami are in a state of dysfunction, said the MLA and questioned how the people there are expected to travel over 200 kms to come to Imphal and get their cases addressed.
Taking the names of two villages as reference points, Soraphung and Wahong, the MLA questioned how people from these places, located 270 kms from Imphal, can be expected to come to Imphal to address every single case, as the Government offices located there have no staff.
One way of addressing these issues could be to decentralise power and authority to the district headquarters, suggested the MLA and cited the example of China, which has delegated power and functions to the regional Governors.
Such an approach can help the people living far away from the capital or district headquarters, he opined.
It is time for the Government to decentralise, added the MLA.