Jairam Ramesh inspects MGNREGS, PMGSY works
'All village roads in state to be connected in 3 yrs time'
Source: Hueiyen News Service

Imphal, June 09 2012: All the village roads of Manipur will be connected and developed within a period of three years, assured Jairam Ramesh, Union Minister for Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, who has arrived here today on a two-day visit to the state.

At the head of a team of MPs of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Personal Grievances, Law and Justice, Union Minister Jairam Ramesh arrived here at around 1pm today.

The team was received at the Tulihal Airport by Minister of Public Health Engineering Department of Manipur Irengbam Hemochandra, Minister of Rural Development Francis Ngajokpa, Chairman of Hill Areas Development Dr Chaltonlien Amo and MLA Prithviraj and MLA Mangibabu.

Soon after their arrival, Union Minister Jairam Ramesh went for a field inspection of the projects and programmes being implemented in Manipur along with top government officials of the state.

Union Minister Jairam Ramesh inspecting developmental works under MGNREGS & PMGSY in different parts of the state

The inspection covered programmes being implemented under PMGSY and MGNREGS in Imphal East, Bishnupur and Churachandpur district.

Talking to media persons on the sidelines of the inspection, Union Minister Jairam Ramesh said that development of roads in all the villages of the state has been taken up under the PMGSY and all the village roads would be connected within three years.

There would be problem as far as fund is concern.

He pointed out that there are 6500 villages in the state with population less than 250 people.

Among them, a number of villages have already been connected by Inter Village Roads (IVRs).

The remaining villages would also be connected within the next three years.

For connectivity of the entire villages, a DPR is needed to be brought out and at the same time full time CEOs be appointed to look into the matter.

The visiting Union Minister observed that MGNREGS is being successfully implemented in various districts of the state.

Among the districts, implementation of the project has been more exemplary in Churachandpur.

Accordingly, Churachandpur district received the MGNREGS Award in 2011 .

Among the 160 Gram Panchayats in Manipur, only a few of them could be placed at the Nirmal Gram Panchayat level, he pointed out and added that Panchayat related works should be taken up properly.

The Union Minister further observed that peace and development are two sides of the same coin.

There should be peace so as to bring about development in the state.

Although the law and order situation in the state has improved, there is the need to put more emphasis on the development side.

On the way to the inspection, the Union Minister also stopped along Tiddim road to take stock of the condition of the road being constructed at Meitram and Heikrujam Chingkhu under PMGSY.

Later, he visited Thanga to inspect the inter village road construction work and other rural development schemes being taken up in the area.

At Moirang, Union Minister Jairam Ramesh visited Indian National Army museum and directed the Ministers and officials of the state to develop the site as a National Heritage in view of its historic importance in the annals of Indian freedom struggle.

From Moirang, the Union Minister headed to Churachandour district to inspection the condition of roads constructed under PMGSY later in the evening.

He was accorded warm welcome at Chullouphai by the villagers.

A public meeting was also held at Chullouphai.

On the return journey to Imphal,the vehicle in which the Union Minister was travelling broke down at Kwakta.

So, he had to switch to another vehicle to reach Imphal, where he had meeting with the Chief Minister and other Cabinet Ministers.

The Union Minister also met representatives of All Manipur Bar Association and High Court BAR Association, who submitted memorandum to press appointments of judges and improvement of infrastructures of the various session courts in the state.

Tribal People Forum Manipur also submitted a memorandum to the visiting Union Minister urging for taking up necessary action in connection with misappropriation of developmental funds by ADCs particularly in Naga dominated districts.