Francis rushes to Delhi, NPO gears up for stir
Source: Hueiyen News Service / NNN

Senapati, July 25 2013: Even as Manipur Rural Development and Panchayati Raj minister Francis Ngajokpa had rushed to New Delhi three days ago and has been meeting Central leaders on the controversial census issue of Senapati district, the Naga frontal organisations of the district, while gearing up for a series of stern agitations, convened a joint meeting under the aegis of Naga Peoples Organisation (NPO) in district headquarters today.

Participated by all tribe-based organisations, Senapati District Women Association (SDWA), Senapati District Students Association (SDSA), SKAWWA, social leaders, district units of political parties, village women and youth organizations, intellectuals and well wishers in the meeting agreed to organize a district level all-village chairmen and secretaries convention along with many other organisations on August 6 at Senapati public ground.

According to NPO leaders, the forthcoming meeting will discuss and consider approval of the general public through village leaders to launch a mass based agitation in Senapati district.

Meanwhile, it is learnt that Manipur RD and PR minister Francis Ngajokpa who also hails from the district, had rushed to New Delhi three days back.

Sources said through the serious and immediate intervention of Chief Minister O.Ibobi, the Cabinet Minister held a series of closed door meetings with Union Home Minister Sushil Shinde, Registrar General of India (RGI), Home Secretary Anil Goswami and Additional Registrar General of India.

It is also learnt that, the Chief Minister has been updated by Francis Ngajokpa regarding the outcomes of the meetings.

The Minister is optimistic of resolving the census issue of Purul, Mao-Maram and Paomata sub-divisions of Senapati district at the earliest time possible, the sources added.

Francis Ngajokpa was said to have expressed his satisfaction regarding the outcomes of his meetings with the Central leaders and added that the Union Home Minister has issued necessary instruction to RGI for necessary documentation of the census of the three sub-divisions. "All available documents on the issue have been compiled and submitted to the Union Home Minister, the RGI and the Union Home Secretary", Francis Ngajokpa was quoted by the sources as saying.

In meeting with the Union Home Secretary at South Block, New Delhi, Francis Ngajokpa detailed the census issue and its impact on the district for the last two decades.

On July 17, apparently tired of repeated attempts to push for inclusion into the Census Record of India even after two decades of exclusion and subsequent denial of political and economic benefits in three sub-divisions of Senapati district, the Naga People's Organization (NPO) held a meeting of its Census Committee and hinted at launching serious and intense agitations.

According to NPO Census committee which is headed by A.John, the house decided to call an NPO presidential emergency meeting on 24th July, 2013 (Wednesday) and thereby decide the further course of agitation as per the wishes of the people.

Contending that, the attitude of the Manipur Government in addressing the Census issue of the three sub-divisions of Mao-Maram, Purul and Paosmata has been neglectful and indifferent against the wishes of the people of the District.

Moreover, even the re-verification process of the census conducted by RGI officials last year has been stalled without any reason.

Repeated attempts to address the issue have been without any positive result till today stated one of the committee members.

Disclosing the road ahead, the Emergency Presidential meeting to be held on 24th July, 2013 will be crucial and is expected to decide a public hearing and immediate launch a mass agitation.

Not indulging into what type of agitation will be launched, the official said that, the said agitation will be "serious and massive" .

It may be recalled here that, after repeated exclusion of the three sub-divisions in the 2001 and 2011 in the Provisional Census report published, the NPO Census Committee was formed to address the issue.

The Committee had also pointed serious "tempering of Census documents" during census exercise conducted in 2011 by some supervisors and enumerators directed allegedly by high officials in State Census Department and officials.

The apex body also alleged that, the State Census Office was involved in tempering and cancellation of many existing names and illogical maintaining of certain limited percentage of the population record despite its existing population recorded by Government appointed enumerators and supervisors during census operations.

It had also filed a writ petition in the Guwahati High Court and then referred the case to Supreme Court which has undergone more than 10 hearings till date.

According to the NPO, as per the provisional census figures of 2001, the delimitation process if conducted was to benefit Senapati District with three more Manipur Assembly seats at its population recorded at 379,214 .

Sadly, with the exclusion of the 2011 census again, the delimitation process seems to elude Senapati district and deny all political justice till today.

Ironically, those Districts of Bishnupur, Thoubal, Imphal West and Imphal East continue to enjoy the assembly seats at the expense of Senapati, Ukhrul and Chandel districts, the NPO stated.

The re-verification process of the Census conducted by Registrar of India last year remain inconclusive and reasons as to why it could not continue the process is unknown to the people, it added.

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