Leader Writer: Sukham Nanda
It has been very unfortunate for the Manipur the there is a strong wave in various hill districts of the state to oppose the state government in its effort to restore the total decentralisation of powers in all six hill districts of the state including Sadar Hills Kangpokpi by letting the elected representatives of the Autonomous District Councils into the adminsitrations of hill districts of the state.
It was very clear from the state government side that, the state government had already realised the existing enequalties in terms of various development activities between the hills and valley districts was caused by the prolonged failure in holding of ADC election in all hill districts of the state since 1988 due to the arising complexities including the need of delimitation of the Constituencies of various ADCs of the HIll districts with the increasing populations and need for the amendment of the ADC Act.
It was because of these reseason the normal elections to the six district councils of the state including, Senapati, ADC, Sadar Hills Kangpokpi ADC, Churachandpur ADC, Ukhrul ADC, Tamenglong ADC and Chandel ADC had been siezed since 1980s. And the very District Councils of the hill districts of the state have been under superession and the adminsitration of the Councils have been entrusted to the concerned Deputy Commissioners of the districts and Additional Deputy Commissioners in the case of Sadr Hills Kangpokpi Autonomous District Council. As the very District Councils are under suppression, the DCs of Churachandpur, Chandel, Tamenglong, Senapati Ukhrul and Addl. DC Kangpokpi have been functioning as Chairman (Ex-Officio Chairman) of the district Councils the Chief Executive Officers are assisting the Deputy Commissioners in the functioning of the Distrct Councils till date.
In fact considering the inconviniences and as per the demands of the hill people the processes for holding of election to the ADCs of the state was started with the official issuance of notification for the Delimitation on September 11, 2009 as per the notification a commission was constituted to have proper carry out of the Delimitation in Hill districts of the state. Further with the submission of the commission reports after completion of delimitation process for the ADCs, Notification of District Council Delimitation has been published on September 11, 2009 in Extra Ordinary Gezette of Manipur , furthermost, the Manipur (Hill Areas) Autonomous District Council (Election of Members) Rules, 2009 has also been publihed on October 17, 2009 in the Extra Ordinary Gezette on October 10, 2009.
Off all the transparency efforts maintained by the state government to enable the state government to hold election to the ADCs of the state hill districts, election process for the election of members of the Autonomous District Councils had completed in the state by the State Election Commission, Manipur as provided under Section 11 of the Manipur (Hill Areas) District Council Act, 1971 read with Manipur (Hill Areas) District Council (Third Amendment) Act, 2008.
But, the efforts of the state government to hold election to the ADCs of hill districts of the state has became one of the dark era for the state of Manipur follwoing the strong oppositions of elections to the ADCs of the state unde the Manipur (Hill Areas) District Council (Third Amendment) Act, 2008 which was passed in the state Assembly after the bill was minutely examined by the Hill Areas Committee of the state Assembly comprises of many tribal MLAs both from Naga and Kuki communities before the bill was passed.
The recent prolonged economic blocakde along the existing National Highways of the state was fall out of the consequences over the failure of the concerned MLAs to convience their own public over the amendment of the ADC Act and also failure of the hill people who could not bear the positive actions taken up by their own elected representatives in order to have proper decentralisation of powers in their own land. This strong inetntions of the public in the hill districts of the state will surely vanish their long cherish dreems to restore their local self governance in order to maintain all round developmental aspects.
