Tourism festival under threat
- The People's Chronicle Editorial :: May 16, 2025 -

Camping site at Shirui Lily Festival in Ukhrul district :: Pix - Chronicle News Service

THE Shirui Lily Festival may be held as planned but there is little to doubt that the tourism promotional event would do more harm than good to the state in case the government authorities fail to prevent major unwanted incidents.

Amid hectic preparations for the much-awaited festival, the Kuki Zo Village Volunteers-Eastern Zone (KZVV-EZ) has declared that no one from the Meetei community would be allowed to enter or access Kuki villages or territories in Manipur.

In a statement issued by its information and publicity wing, and circulated widely on various social media platforms, KZVV directed the Meeteis to refrain from entering or crossing the Kuki areas at any time, until the establishment of a separate administrative arrangement, along with warning that any violation of the directive will be considered intentional, and individuals shall bear full responsibility for any consequences that may follow.

The restrictions encompassing the fifth edition of the Shirui Lily Festival, scheduled from May 20 to 24 in Ukhrul district's Shirui village and other locations including Ukhrul town, would definitely compel the Meetei people to seriously ponder over participating in the festival, as there are at-least three Kuki villages en-route to Ukhrul town.

With solution to the Kuki-Meetei conflict nowhere in sight and Kuki civil organisations declaring that no Meetei would be allowed to pass through its territories, which include the National Highways, it is obvious that no sane Meetei would take the risk to revel in the festival, that is, if the government does not make elaborate security arrangements.

Among others, stringent security mechanism is imperative to ensure disturbance-free conduct of the festival in view of the threat perception from the Kuki group, which would be equally determined to demonstrate that Kuki villages are impenetrable fortress, as could be comprehended from Kuki protesters in Kangpokpi district recently foiling attempt by the Ministry of Home Affairs to make the national highways free for movement of all.

Apart from the KZVV threat, the government authorities cannot overlook possibility of violence derailing the festival taking into account strong objection raised by the Wung Tangkhul Region (WTR) of the NSCN-IM against the May 11 diktat issued by the KZVV-EZ.

Regardless of the KZVV urging the Tangkhul Naga community to understand and respect gravity of the sentiments and the necessity for declaring the prohibition against the Meetei community, the WTR declared that NSCN shall not tolerate if KZ-VV-EZ makes any wild attempt to disturb the streaming tourists targeting any particular community travelling to Ukhrul/Shirui village, and categorically asserted "the territorial jurisdiction ofthe so-called Kukiland doesn't cover even an inch of Naga territory in Ukhrul areas".

As possibility of an ugly confrontation between the KZVV and the NSCN to assert territorial control cannot be ruled out, it is the responsibility of the government to not only prevent occurrence of unwanted incidents that could cause irreparable damage to the collective efforts for promoting the tourism sector in the economically backward state but also ensure that the Kuki-Meetei conflict does not escalate afresh and drag in neutral communities.