Imphal, November 06 2009: A sign of the process as well as the progress taken up by the state government to hold elections to the Autonomous District Councils (ADC) in the five hill districts of Manipur and the Sardar Hills, is evident now with the publication of the District Council Rules (Manipur Hills).

After having had repealed the erstwhile District Council (Manipur Hills) Rules of 1972, the volumous modified Rules have been published by the state government on October 21, 2009 .

Given this development, the wheel for conducting polls to the Autonomous District Councils in the hill districts by the state government is moving.

It has been over 20 years now that the elections to the Autonomous District Councils of Churachandpur, Chandel, Ukhrul, Senapati, Tamenglong and Sardar Hills have been held up by the state government.

However, the Indigenous Democratic Front (IDF), an organisation spear-heading agitation for the early polls of the district councils is not amused even with this latest development.

"After the publication of the Rules, the state government should notify seeking public suggestions within 15 days but that has not been done," said IDF supremo Ngachonmy Chamroy to Newmai News Network while expressing his anguish .

He terms it as the lethargic attitude of the state government for failing to invite the public suggestions which is mandatory.

"But whatever may be the case, if the state government is serious in conducting the ADC polls, it should announce immediately the dates of the elections," asserted Chamroy.

The IDF president is apprehensive that the state government is playing a game which he terms it as 'delay-tactics'.

Ngachonmy Chamroy rues that if the elections to the Autonomous District Councils are not conducted in the next two to three months time, the state government will find its excuse in not disturbing the matriculation examinations and further postpone the dates for conducting the polls.

"This has been the tactics of the state government how the polls to the ADCs have not been conducted in the last 20 years or so," pointed out the IDF chief.

Meanwhile, it is likely that the PIL entitled 'Ng.Chamroy Vs the government of Manipur' regarding the ADC polls is likely to be disposed by the Gauhati High Court on either November 9 or November 10, according to a well placed source.

Ngachonmy Chamroy has filed a case in the Gauhati High Court questioning that the District Council Act (Manipur Hills), 1971 had been prepared by the government but why the same has not been implemented for the last 20 odd years.

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