Imphal, May 08 2009: Along with a serious study of the prevailing law and order situation of Manipur among other issues including progress of the Suspension of Operation signed with the Kuki UG groups and the peace progress being initiated with some other UG groups, a meeting of the Strategy Operation Group (SOG) has reviewed the past achievements as well as the future actions to be taken up today.

According to a reliable source, the meeting which was held today was very significant in the sense that it was convened soon after reviewing of the law and order situation of the State at New Delhi during a meeting presided over by Union Home Secretary Madhukar Gupta and was attended by Chief Secretary of the State, Additional Chief Secretary (Home) and DGP on May 6 .

Today's meeting presided over by Chief Secretary Rakesh was attended only by top officials of the security forces operating in Manipur and the discussion covered all the problems related to law and order and measures being taken up by the security forces in this regard.

The meeting of the Strategic Operation Group (SOG) attended only by Additional Chief Secretary (Home), DGP, three IG (Law & Order), GOC of 57 Mountain Division, IGAR (South) and top officers of BSF and CRPF also deliberated on the follow up actions of the recent Operation Summer Storm launched under 57 Mountain Division at Keibul Lamjao National Park of Loktak lake.

With regard to security measures required in connection with laying the railway track from Jiribam to Tupul and then upto Imphal, the meeting took up all the issues related to the existing security problems along Imphal-Dimapur Road as well as along Imphal-Jiribam Road and deployment of adequate security cover.

The achievements of the security forces including ongoing counter insurgency operations have also been deliberated at the meeting.

Apart from discussion on the progress of the Suspension of Operation (SoO) signed between the Government of India and Manipur on one side and two joint groups of various Kuki-Chin-Mizo UG groups on the other, the SOG meeting had also pondered over the steps being initiated for peace talks with one of the PULF faction as well as with KCP-MC group.

While discussing the responsibility to be shouldered by various units of the security forces in containing the problem of law and order in the State, today's meeting had also touched on the current issue related to closure of the drug stores in the State following threats and extortion demands from UG groups.

Besides reviewing the activities of the security forces, the meeting had also finalised various future course of actions to be taken up, the source informed.

However it declined to elaborate on the matter maintaining these are very sensitive.

Meanwhile, another round of meeting between the Government and the Joint Monitoring Group (JMG) of the Kuki UG groups namely UPF and KNA/KNO which have entered into peace talks with the Government was held today.

Presided over by Additional Chief Secretary (Home) DS Poonia, who is also the Chairman of JMG , the meeting held at Ist Manipur Rifles Battalion complex here was attended by representatives of UPF and KNA/KNO.

According to a reliable source, among other agenda, today's meeting discussed issues related to construction of 11 designated camps both for UPF and KNA/KNO and completion of the work within a timeframe of three months.

Today's meeting also decided to revise the amount of Rs 50 lakhs finalised for construction of the designated camps in the previous meetings.

Out of the proposed 11 designated camps to be set up, seven are for UPF.

However, after discussion it was agreed that one more designated camps would be allotted to UPF during the meeting today.

Accordingly the total number of designated camps to be set up for UPF has increased to 7, the source disclosed, adding that issuing of identity cards to most of the cadres of UPF and KNA/KNO have been completed.

Today's meeting did not take up the proposal of UPF to increase the number of identity cards to be issued to its cadres to 200 as it was decided in the previous meeting of the JMG that the matter would be considered after the cadres started staying in their respective designated camps, the source further disclosed.

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