PM urged to ensure ADC elections are held
Source: The Sangai Express / Newmai News Network
Imphal, December 28 2022:
The Ex-ADC Members' Forum of Manipur has apprised Prime Minister Narendra Modi to hold elections to the Autonomous District Councils in Manipur without further delay.
The forum submitted the memorandum to the Prime Minister in New Delhi on December 22 .
Earlier the Forum had also urged Union Home Minister Amit Shah to get the ADC election held as soon as possible.
In the memorandum, the Forum said that the Autonomous District Councils (ADCs) of Manipur are neither in the 5th Schedule nor in the 6th Schedule of the Constitution of India.
Saying that the six Autonomous District Councils of Manipur were established in the Hill areas under the Manipur (Hill Areas) District Councils Act, 1971 to provide a separate scheme for the administration of "Hill areas" with regard to primary schools, public health, sanitation, land and forest, market etc, the Forum added that the ADCs are also vested with legislative powers for administrative and welfare services including development and economic planning.
The Forum recalled that the last elections to the ADCs for the tenure 2015-2020 were held on June 1, 2015 and the tenure ended on May 31, 2020 .
Since then, the State Government has failed to conduct ADC elections till date for reasons unknown, it continued and maintained that the failure to conduct ADC elections even after two years is an act of suspension of democratic process and suppression of Constitutional rights of the "hill tribal people of the State" .
The Hill Areas Committee (HAC) has recommen- ded for holding of ADC elections on time vide its resolution dated October 8, 2020 and April 12, 2021, it pointed out.
Maintaining that the delay in holding the ADC elections has not only negatively affected the develop- ment prospects in the hill areas but also gravely degenerates the democratic institution of local self-Government in the hill areas of Manipur, it paraphrased the proverbial line 'justice delayed is justice denied' .
Further stating that non-holding of ADC elections may create more 'division between the hills and the valley people' in Manipur, the Forum claimed that most of the developmental activities are concentrated in the valley by successive Manipur Governments.
The Forum said that a similar memorandum has also been submitted to Union Home Minister Amit Shah recently.