Moirang protests 'massive illegal construction works'
Source: Hueiyen News Service
Imphal, June 13 2015 :
The people of Moirang in Bishnupur District have approached the authorities seeking intervention in the illegal construction of shop-like buildings on a massive scale by Moirang Municipal Council (MMC) by encroaching the office premises of Veterinary & AH and Education Department at Moirang Patlou and Moirang Lamkhai.
A highly placed source disclosed that apart from the illegal structures, the so called Chingu Moirang Thangjing Development Committee is collecting huge amount of money from the people and interfering with the works of Thangjing Seva Mandal, a registered society with Moirang Ningthou as the ex-officio president, general secretary and elected representatives of the Leikais, duly mandated for managing the affairs of Ibudhou Moirang Thangjing.
Unidentified contractor/agency in a clandestine manner has constructed a huge RCC structure at Moirang Kangla/INA Memorial Complex by destroying the office building of MMC and abandoning the works incomplete.
Unfortunately, the Government authorities have remained as mere onlookers rather than taking steps against the illegal activities of vested interests.
The source stated that these matters are of grave public concern.
The BJP Moirang Mandal had requested in a letter to the Chief Secretary and the Vigilance Commissioner to initiate steps for investigation into the mater relating to MMC indulging in construction of buildings on State lands in an illegal and unscrupulous and clandestine manner.
It stated that the MMC are indulging in construction of a large number of shop-like buildings illegally on State lands at Moirang Lamkhai and Moirang Patlou without following any rules and regulations.
Citing official sources the representation said that the Government has not provided funds for the projects/schemes in question.
The MMC has neither notified any scheme duly approved by the Government or competent authority nor issued any Notice Inviting Tender (NIT) for award of contract works to any agency/contractor.
It further said that while constructing the shop-like structures at the premises of the Veterinary Office, Moirang Patlou, the MMC authorities have also trespassed and destroyed RCC walls of Fish Market recently constructed by the Government.
The BJP Moirang Mandal also sought legal action against individuals collecting donation from the public in the name of Moirang Thangjing.
The party requested the Chief Secretary, Commissioner, Vigilance Commissioner to take appropriate action against the so called Chingu Thangjing Temple Development Committee and individuals who have used illegal means to collect lakhs of rupees from the public in the name of Ibudhou Thangjing.
It was also placed on record that the affairs of the Moirang Thangjing are managed by a registered Temple Development Committee and not the Chingu Thangjing Temple Development Committee.
The BJP Moirang Mandal had on January 1, 2015 urged the Chief Secretary, Secretary (Works), Secretary (Art & Culture), Secretary (Tourism, Project Director/Chief Engineer (MDS), Manipur to stop construction of a shapeless reinforced cement structure built up by destroying Moirang Kangla heritage site.
In a memorandum, it said that it is strange that a highly technical and expensive project is being implemented by 'a gang of masons' secretly without any supervision by competent engineers.
Police personnel occasionally showed up at the work site instead, it claimed and added that the Government has messed up the multi-crore work and abandoned it, too.
It said that a two-storey building of Moirang Municipal Council (MMC) caved in and crumbled into dust due to heavy impact of the construction works besides badly damaging the Indian National Army Memorial Complex which is a national monument and tourist destination.
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