It is a good sign, the ongoing preparation for the extravaganza called the Manipur Sangai Festival has lit up the eyes of onlookers. The blocks leading to Hafta Kangeibung, the venue of the festival, have been decked up in luminous display of motley colors. Strategically laid black topping of roads have sufficiently covered up the rundown road conditions in the capital city. Tulihal Airport has been furnished with basic facilities of an international airport. Let us hope the administration accomplishes its mission of taking the foreign visitors on a studio ride on the sets of Imphal – a well-maintained city.
By creating an illusion, has the administration embarked on an honest mission to sketch a good image of the state? That will be truly admirable because the large foreign contingent need to catch a favorable and lasting impression of the festival and the host. The aspects of cultural exchange and promotion of tourism featured prominently in the festival are merely the appetizers; everyone knows the main course is the prospect of building a healthy longlasting political, economic and social relationship with our immediate eastern neighbours and other south-east Asian nations. The support of the general public will be very forthcoming to every step taken up by the administration in this direction. On the other hand, foreign delegates will naturally have stacked up adequate information about the state and perhaps will be easily content by our hospitality and sympathetic about minor lapses.
But for the recent spurt in violence, the organizers, administration and public must have been overflowing with optimism with the D-Day approaching. Which is why journalists felt dejected at chief minister O Ibobi evading questions related to the present law and order situation in Imphal during a visit to the site of the festival. An opportunity to put up a query to the chief minister is very rare and the media wanted to make use of it everytime. Besides, there is no general rule on talking about specific questions related to the occasions only. The chief minister himself took advantage of the inauguration of an auditorium to issue his clarification on hearsay (reports) about an exaggerated fund being earmarked for organization of the Manipur Sangai Festival. It is very pertinent to seek information about the progress or development in investigations of recent crimes that happened in the capital city, i.e the serial bomb blast, broad daylight killings because they reflect the security preparedness of the government. The whole state is with the chief minister in keeping fingers crossed on terror attacks happening during the festival as it would be disgraceful and moreover detrimental to the dreams of economic partnership with the developed countries. Public would have certainly preferred smug confidence on the law enforcement over the show of discomfiture.