Case registered against 20 postal staff: CM
Source: The Sangai Express / DIPR

Imphal, February 25 2019: A case has been registered against 20 postal staff for their involvement in delivering worthless stuffs in place of different articles sent through India Post, stated Chief Minister N Biren on the floor of the State Assembly today.

He said that there were 238 complaints about loss of articles sent through the General Post Office (GPO) between April and December last year.

Out of them, 20 complaints were closed as they were found to be unauthentic.

Responding to a query raised by Congress MLA K Ranjit during the question hour, the Chief Minister stated that replacement of articles sent through post office with useless stuffs like pieces of paper, cloth etc was done at post offices located outside the State.

A case has been registered against 20 staff of post offices located outside the State and the Government has been working to take up necessary legal action against them, Biren said.

It has been established that they were involved in replacing a consignment sent from Gandhinagar, Gurajat to Advanced Hospital, Imphal with worthless stuffs like pieces of towels.

After due communication between the Manipur Postal Division and the Postal Director, necessary measures including installation of CCTV cameras have been initiated to check such hijacking of articles sent through post office.

Not satisfied with the reply given by CAF&PD Minister Karam Shyam to a query regarding 857.93 metric tonnes allotted to the State for Welfare Institutions and Hostels Scheme (WIHS), MLA O Henry asked the Minister to be bold enough to accept his mistake if there is one on the matter.

"We know that the Government would not listen to us yet we are raising the matter because we must", Henry said.

At this, Speaker Y Khemchand said why should not the Government listen to Opposition Members.

He then asked the CAF&PD Minister to give the particulars of the matter to him so that he can pass on the same to the MLA.

Even though 857.93 metric tonnes of rice were allotted to the State for WIHS, not a single grain was allocated to Imphal East, Bishnupur, Tengnoupal, Ukhrul, Jiribam and Kangpokpi, Henry said.

Noting that 1067 quintals were allocated to Senapati, 300 quintals to Churachandpur and 3000 quintals to Pherzawl, the Congress MLA asked whether the allocation of 3000 quintals of rice to Pherzawl can be justified.

He went on to ask as to why the Government did not inform about WIHS to the masses during its Go to Village and Go to Hills campaigns.

Karam Shyam maintained that WIHS is a new scheme and it does not cover all districts nor is it implemented Assembly Constituency-wise.

Details of beneficiaries who received rice under WHS can be obtained from the relevant websites and there were no lapses or discrepancy, he asserted.

Shyam said that rice was allocated to charitable institutions, beggar homes, Nari Niketans, welfare institutions set up under the State Government and students' hostels.

Had the scheme been launched properly, Imphal East and other districts could have reaped its benefits.

If the Government has been saying that all the rice had been distributed and there is nothing left, someone must be held accountable, Henry asserted.

The debate was cut short at the intervention of the Speaker.

The Speaker said that he would provide all documents of the scheme to the MLA and the MLA may table the matter during discussion of demands.

Replying to a question raised by Opposition Member O Henry during the question hour, Chief Minister N Biren stated that various steps for promotion of Tourism in the State are being taken up which includes promotion of Manipur Tourism through State and other local festivals, and showcasing different products of the State to stakeholders at domestic and international events.

Steps are also taken up for promotion and publicity in metro cities to educate potential visitors about tourist destinations of the State.

Infrastructure development projects funded by Ministry of Tourism, Ministry of DoNER and NEC through State Plan are also under process.

To draw visitors to the State, various steps towards improving connectivity are also being taken up.

Helicopter services have also been introduced besides increasing the flight frequency.

He said road connectivity has also been considerably improved by connecting the interior tourist spots and destinations in the State.

Expressing satisfaction over the increasing number of domestic and international tourists in the State during the past few years, the Chief Minister said that works are in progress under Swadesh Darshan and North East Tourist Circuit so as to create awareness about the tourist destinations and develop the required infrastructure.

Biren added that the Government is committed to conserve the natural beauty of Loktak Lake and attract tourists to the State.

He said that Loktak Heritage Park will be developed to facilitate visitors experience the natural and scenic beauty of the Lake.

To raise awareness on the importance of Shirui Lily, Government is planning to upgrade Shirui Lily Festival to National and international level if possible in the future.

Highlighting the upgradation of local festivals like Barak Festival to the State level, he said organising such festivals can also attract a large number of tourists from within and outside the State.

Regarding the budgetary allocation for tourism development, N Biren said, a total of Rs 4171.14 lakh has been allocated in the Revised Estimate of 2018-19, out of which Rs 3703.14 lakh has been earmarked for development of tourism infrastructure, organising State festivals and promotion of tourism in the State.

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