LAMKA, June 18: Concerned with a situation arising out of the exclusion of the names of some tribes from being mentioned in the recently published “Churachandpur Diary 2013” by the Integrated Watershed Development Program under the District Rural Development Agency (DRDA), ADC Churachandpur, Chairman and DRDA Chairman, Langkhanpau Guite today called a press conference admitting the lapse.
The Thadou community and the Thadou Students’ Association have made official complaints against the exclusion of their names in the Diary to both the DRDA Chairman and the CCpur DC who is also the member secretary of the DRDA to make amend on the error.
Addressing media persons, the ADC Chairman categorically admitted the lapse as the result of miss-communication or lack of communication on the part of those who compiled the dairy.
He said that this act or objection of the TSA, construing the error as an act of belittling the Thadou terming it as “Thadou Tribe molestation”, is an eye opener for the department and said he welcomed the initiative of the TSA as the Thadous are an integral part of CCpur, and have been legally in existent since 1956 as they were recognized under the President of India order SRO -24774 gazette of India extraordinary part II no.316 New Delhi date 29th cot.1956, Manipur sl no.27-Thadou page 35-36
The Chairman assured that the mistake will not be repeated again in the future and thanked the TSA for understanding their request to made amends.
Many of the statistics on the said diary, a copy of which is available with this IFP correspondent, are found to be lacking as certain tribal apex bodies of Churachanpur are listed in the diary as the name of a tribe.
The DRDA Chairman who was visibly worried said that he has already had three meetings with representatives of the Thadou Students’ Association and clarified on the issue and further added that he had also expressed his apologies to the other tribes and bodies that have been left out from the diary.
The TSA furious at the omission had even warned of taking the issue to the Supreme Court of India and to organize bandhs and blockades unless the error is corrected.