Imphal, May 08 2009: Even though joint secretary northeast in-charge Union ministry of home affairs, Navin Verma arrived at Imphal to attend a scheduled tripartite talks with a group of KCP(MC) militants led by Hitendra alias Lalumba, the same was not held as leaders of the outfit were turned up for the talks.

A highly reliable source said that the leaders of the group who approached the state government through the initiative of the Assam Rifles authority failed to turn up as authority of the Manipur government could not get contact with the leaders of the group.

However, the source added Navin Verma who arrived at Imphal at around 9.30 am held meeting with top officials of the state government led by state additional chief secretary DS Poonia and DGP, Y Joykumar discussed on the modalities and ground rules prepared by the state government which was also discussed in a meeting with the MHA officials recently.

A meeting held at New Delhi on May 6 last between the state official led by state chief secretary Rakesh and officials of MHA had discussed on the prepared modalities and grounds which will bound the KCP (MC) group led by Hitendra alias Lalumba who came out with a proposal of en-masse surrender of its cadres under an agreed condition.

The proposed tripartite talks scheduled today was fourth of its kinds since the group initiated for talks with the state government with the knowledge of the government of India.

But leaders of the group could not be contacted as state authorities got a limited time of only two days to contact with the leaders of the outfit.

However, top officials of the state government led by additional chief secretary and home in charge, DS Poonia and DGP, Y Joykumar review the follow action which the state authority can take up for talks with the group.

The meeting also reviewed the progress of implementation of the ground rules of the Suspension of Operation (SoO) with as many as 22 Kuki based militants outfits under the banner of United People Front, UPF and Kuki National Organisatiion (KNO) which was signed in August 2008 .

A proposal of initiating talk with one faction of the Muslim based militants outfit, People United Liberation Front (PULF) was also discussed in separate meeting held after the tripartite talks with the group of the KCP (MC), source disclosed.

Earlier, joint secretary Northeast in-charge, Navin Verma of Union ministry of home affairs arrived at Imphal this morning at around 9.30 am by flight well ahead of the scheduled meeting which was fixed at 10.30 am.

He was about to return back today itself but he attended another round of meeting to review the law and order situation and follow up action to the recently concluded "Summer Storm Operation" launched by security forces at Loktak lake, source said.

Additional chief secretary, DS Poonia and Director General of police (DGP) Y Joykumar present the meeting among others.

Among others, the draft ground rules prepared by the state government includes payment of Rs.4000 per month to each of the registered cadres of the KCP(MC) group surrendered to the government as per the agreement.

In the talks with the representatives of the KNO, it was concentrated on the opening of the designated camps of the outfits under the body which is an ongoing one.

They will have six designated camps.

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