CM exposes doctor-employee nexus, warns wrongdoers
Revenue department officials suspended for manipulating land records
Source: Chronicle News Service / DIPR

Imphal, March 31 2023: While informing that nine officials of the Revenue Department have been placed under suspension for manipulation of land records, chief minister N Biren has cautioned bureaucrat officers, who are involved in wrongful activities to rectify the same before the government initiates legal action.

The suspended officials include Kh Goverdhon Singh (MCS), Samson Huidrom (MCS), L/A SDC G Chinglensana Kabui, M Sanatomba Singh (mandol), L Biswanath Singh (mandol), Md Hassan (mandol), T Hemjit Singh (mandol), and O Munal Singh and Md Jahangir (both retired mandol) .

Briefing the media at his Secretariat office on Friday on issues related to illegal transfer of land, issue of patta in forest and government lands and igniting forest fire at the hill range of Kongba Maru Laiphamlen, CM Biren said his government had been taking up various measures to address certain issues, which have become major causes for the deteriorating condition of the state.

The government will work out everything systematically, he said, while adding that governance is not just development of infrastructures, but also taking up activities for the betterment of the future generations and preservation of the environment.

Mentioning the responsibility of bureaucrats and the people's trust towards them, he instructed all the officials to render their service sincerely and dedicatedly and also to refrain from committing any wrongful activity.

The committee, which had been formed to check illegal transfer of land and issue of patta in forest and government lands, will continue to investigate.

He then asked the involved officials to voluntarily come out and rectify any wrongful deed, if committed earlier, before the government starts taking up legal actions against them, in addition to streamlining all processes.

"Employees are the backbone of the government.

As such, it is unfortunate for them to commit such wrongful acts.

In most of the cases, the employees have retired and found to be suffering from kidney and heart diseases when the law comes knocking at their door, making it difficult to arrest them," he remarked.

Regarding the suspension of nine officials for manipulating land records, Biren informed that after realising they would soon be caught, the two MCS officers and one 'amin' immediately went to a hospital and got themselves admitted.

MCS officers Kh Goverdhon and Samson Huidrom, Mandol T Hemjit and retired Mandol Md Jahangir were found admitted to hospital.

They virtually connected to the related Court hearing and submitted that they are admitted in the ICU.

There is suspicion on role of the doctor, who facilitated the quartet's admission to ICU while suspension order of another RIMS doctor has been issued.

The CM continued that one of the MCS officers, reported as admitted in the ICU and scheduled to appear before the Court on March 29, conversed while acting to be in the ICU but went missing from the hospital on March 30 .

He reportedly Left Against Medical Advice (LAMA) of the doctor.

Meanwhile, suspended T Hemjit issued a patta to a Church amidst the government quarters in Checkon.

He also was allegedly found to have been admitted to the ICU.

However, a Judge grew suspicious of his movement and went to the spot.

There, a group of doctors gave Hemjit a clean bill of health and the Judge immediately sent him on a seven-day remand.

Apart from the government cracking down on such officers, more such officers can be caught through sting operation conducted by the media, Biren suggested while stating that putting an end to corruption is not as difficult as one imagines it to be.

On the other hand, Mandol MD Hassan was requested to transfer a paddy land, but he went a step further and updated the paddy land into a homestead land, while jumping over all the necessary procedures required for converting a paddy land into a private property.

MCS Kh Goverdhon, who was granted bail after getting admitted to the ICU, went missing the day after but showed up to the office shortly after, the CM informed.

All of these wrongful activities did not happen in 1-2 days but had been continuously done for over a long period of time.

Thus, Biren appealed to the people not to give bribes or use connections to carryout wrong activities.

The CM then expressed his satisfaction to the state judiciary for their cooperation in the government's initiative of taking up legal action against offenders of law.

He further appealed to the public not to lobby any government officials for getting their work done, adding that the state government is standing strongly against corruption and has been trying to root it out from the state.

Biren further informed that a team of Sagolmang Police Station had arrested three people for involvement in setting fire at the hill range of Kongba Maru.

A case had also been registered against them under relevant sections of IPC for further investigation and necessary legal action, he conveyed.

He continued that as almost all bushfires are man-made with some ignited intentional, the government has been surveying and investigating the same.

Fire service and police personnel are always on standby to put out bushfires, he informed, while adding that police, IRB and MR personnel posted in areas near the foothills will carry out regular foot patrolling.

"This is because over half of the jungles in Manipur have been cleared illegally for poppy plantation.

The remaining cannot be lost due to bushfires as the state is already reeling under lack of rainfall and water shortage.

As such, the forest department has begun transporting tree saplings to Koubru for afforestation purposes," he said, while urging the people to participate in planting trees in areas which had been cleared off for poppy cultivation and others, regardless of which community/tribe they belong to or whether they are from the hill or the valley.

Information and Public Relations minister Dr Sapam Ranjan, Education minister Th Basanta Kumar, secretary (Revenue) Namoijam Kheda Varta and other senior government officials were also present during the press briefing among others.

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