From our Correspondent
Lamka, Feb 18:The 24 hour bandh call by the All Tribal Students Union Manipur in all hill districts of the state parylysed Churachandpur where it was fully supported by the Churachandpur District student`™s Union (CDSU).
The bandh commenced from midnight of February 17 and lasted till midnight of February 18.
Owing to the band normal life in the district came to a grinding halt adversely disrupting the daily business activities and education especially in the district head quarter. All business establishments including shops remain shut and no vehicles were seen plying during the bandh period.
Educational institution remained closed besides that the turn out of employees in the government offices was recorded almost nil.
Earlier during the morning there was report of smashing of vehicle windshields by suspected bandh supporters. However no major bandh related violence was reported till the filling of this report.
It may be recalled that ATSUM resorted to imposing the bandh to mount pressure on the Government in fulfilling their charters of demands. Apart from the bandh earlier it had launched certain forms of agitation which included closure of schools, Government offices etc.
ATSUM has been demanding rectification on issues like inadvertent evading of the Rules of the Manipur Reservation of Vacancies in Post and Service (for SC and ST) Act, 2007 and its objection to 200 point roster as against the earlier 100 points. Extension of the service of contract basis teachers in the hill districts for one academic year, discrimination of STs in the promotion of leading firemen, the issue of chief engineer in Public Health Education Department (PHED) etc.
ATSUM has also been demanding the revocation of the State cabinet decision of posting senior Manipur Civil Service officer as executive director of DRDA without due consultation with Hill Areas Committee of the State assembly. It has termed the cabinet decision as devoid of any `rationality and justification` and has demanded reverting it back to the earlier way wherein the concerned deputy commissioner of the districts were the executive director as prescribed under the central guidelines.
