After the dust settles
- Hueiyen Lanpao Editorial :: December 05 2011 -

Prime Minister inaugurating the Inter State Bus Terminus on Dec 3 2011 :: Pix - David M Mayum

They came, they inaugurated and they left.

Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh and UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi finally came down to Manipur on December 3 and formally inaugurated a number of state of the art buildings and complexes.

For the Chief Minister, especially, who personally monitored the progress of the construction works of the Capitol Project over a length of time, it was a major coup of sorts - getting both the Prime Minister and Sonia Gandhi to do the honours.

The Assembly complex and the High Court within the Capitol Complex, the City Convention Centre, the MFDC buildings and the facilities provided within these compare favourably with the best of its kind within the country.

Though plagued by shortages and lack of various amenities all around, making these facilities functional will put Imphal city in league with some of the more modern cities of the country.

As for the high profile visit and the period leading up to it, from many accounts, it was not without its share of glitches. There were reports that the name of the Chief Minister which figured in all the plaques meant for the inaugural ceremony of the buildings and complexes had to be scrapped following express instructions from the PMO.

If this is true, then it will only add to the perception of the high handedness of Delhi vis a vis the state, while at the same time it speaks poorly of state government for allowing itself to be treated with such discourtesy.

The public meeting at the Kangla which was slated to be a grand finale of the visit, left a sour taste.

Despite the general strike called by various CSOs and underground organization, quite a sizable number of people turned up for the public, a credit to the state administration, a accomplishment for which Ibobi can well pat himself in the back.

But then who came up with the idea of engaging that particular gentleman for interpretation of the PM's and Sonia Gandhi's speech, surely there must be quite a number of people in this state who are better equipped to do the job and not leave many in the audience confused and all of us embarrassed.

As for the Chief Minister seeking a special package of Rs 600 cr, we feel the state government should have confirmed clearly with the PMO about the possibility of such a package being announced and should have avoided the spectacle of a request from the Chief Minister of the state being turned down publicly, albeit with qualifications.

On the positives, Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh categorically stated that there is no proposal for a 'Supra State Body' and that the government of India stands for the territorial integrity of Manipur.

The Assurance to take up with Myanmar the possibility of starting a bus service between Mandalay and Imphal, approval for upgradation of RIMS, to bring up the Imphal Airport on par with international standard while the state government has been endowed with Rs 50 crores annually for police modernization.

With the coming up of the City Convention Centre, the state will now have the facilities to host seminars, workshops, art exhibition, cultural programe of national and international level.

Likewise, with the formal inauguration of the MFDC building, the corporation will have the wherewithal to screen films, conduct workshops and even host film festivals, whether those running the body make the best use of the facilities, is another matter.

The visit itself was literally a whistle stop, a purely ceremonial visit with the express purpose of inaugurating the various buildings.

A prime minister of the country rarely comes to Manipur and when they do they seem to be in a hurry to get back to Delhi and it has happened this time also.

With the state going through such difficult times and with so much of unresolved issue plaguing the state, we would have definitely appreciated the Prime Minister and the UPA Chairperson, staying longer and meeting a cross section of the society, the political parties, various CSOs etc to get a feel of the pulse of the people first hand.