Imphal, March 15: The Operation New Kangleipak (ONK) of the proscribed KYKL has closed down ten book stores which were allegedly selling books published under the Sarva Siksha Abhiyan (SSA) and meant for free distribution among the students, for one and half month's period while the owners of two other book stores have been asked to surrender within seven days.

The outfit has also directed the Board of Secondary Education, Manipur (BSEM) to ensure that all the required text books for class I to X are made available to students before the commencement of the academic session.

Talking to mediapersons in this connection somewhere in Churachandpur district today, a spokes-person of the ONK informed that while the ten book stores which were selling the SSA text books meant for free distribution have been shut down for one and half months, the owners of Chitra Book House, Thangal Bazar Ngari Galli and Universal Book House, Canchipur should surrender to the outfit within seven days from today.

The ten book stores which have been slapped with the closure for one and half months are RD Book House, Lamlong Bazar; Paona Book Stores, Lamlong Bazar; IR Educational Book Store, Canchipur; Nandini Book Store, Bishnupur Bazar; Leo Agencies, Governor Road; RK Book House, Pologround; CI Book Store, Nambol Bazar; Sharma Book Agencies, Paona International Market; Romi Book House, Moirang and Rashid Book Store, Kwakta.

Laishram Bimolchand of RD Book House; Moirangthem Anand of Paona Book Store, Thingujam Ingocha of IR Educational Book Store, Khagembam Sachikumar of Nandini Book Store, Nongmeikapam Surjit of Leo Agencies, RK Amu of RK Book House, Nameirakpam Geetchandra of CI Book Store and Sinam Suresh of Sharma Book Agency were also paraded before the mediapersons.

While pointing out that the Sarva Siksha Abhiyan (SSA) text books meant for free distribution among the students are to be issued with the permission of the ZEO, DI and AI concerned, the spokesperson observed that the headmaster/headmistress of the schools concerned should check whether the books are made available to the students or not every academic year.

The spokesperson also appealed to the parents and guardians of the students to check whether the hologram of the BSEM are present in the text books bought from the book stores or not before buying them.

BSEM should ensure that the text books prescribed by it for students of class 1 to X are made available before the commencement of the academic session within the month of January every month and the Education Department should also distributed the text books meant for free distribution to all the students in every district of the State in time, the outfit directed.

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