Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, September 18:
Highlighting the grievances of tribal contractors in particular and the tribal people in general, All Tribal Contractors' Association, Manipur (ATCAM) has submitted a memorandum containing a 7-point charter of demands to the Government for taking up necessary remedial measures.
The seven-point demands put up by the Association are centralisation of divisional offices at the respective district headquarters, floating of tender for award of work to be done at the divisional offices of respective district headquarters to facilitate participation of tribal contractors, giving preference to the local contractors for execution of the works in their respective areas under accepted norms for timely and quality execution of the works, issuing of cheques at the divisional offices of the respective district headquarters, paying of the pending liabilities within two week's time, giving official order to the Engineering Depts to do away with deduction and collection of percentage from the contractors and not to award work agencies to pseudo-contractors.
Informing this in a statement, Association president LS Asheli elucidated that the catch-word and the central issue that has caused all the grievances in the hills is the centralisation of all functioning of the Government, particularly the Engineering authority in the Imphal valley.
The main thrust of a welfare State such as Indian for socio-political justice is decentralisation, empowerment of the weaker sections and the tribal people through various schemes and other administrative reforms.
However, the Government of Manipur has gone counter to the welfare policy of the Government of India and has centralised all powers in Imphal in the hands of a few interested persons, Asheli asserted.
He further said that all State Plan and non-plan works, deposit works, PMGSY/ Bharat Nirman, ACA, SPA, NLCPR, etc even of the hill districts are centralised in Imphal paving way for arbitrary selection of pre-qualifications and award of works in the manner of pick and choose at the behest of some vested interests.
As such, tribal contractors are deprived of most of the works through undue influences.
Moreover, Centrally sponsored schemes which are time bound lapsed thereby paving way for the Government of Manipur o divert the fund.
Asheli said centralisation and functioning of divisional offices at Imphal, arbitrary working of cheques and high percentage cuts have been taking place causing immense suffering to the tribal contractors.
The qualitative execution and maintenance of roads, bridges and building in the hill districts have also suffered for the last many years due to indiscriminate lending of work agencies to pseudo-contractors and encouragement of awarding work to such contractors by the engineering authority, Asheli said, adding that the Association will be forced to take up agitation it deems fit in the event of the failure of the Government to look in the matter for necessary remedial measures.