Imphal | April 23 : The Cabinet meeting of the government of Manipur on Thursday has taken a decision to go ahead with the elections to the Autonomous District Councils (ADCs) in Manipur hill districts. This decision of the state government in its Cabinet meeting has been taken against the backdrop of ongoing agitations in the hill districts protesting against holding elections to the ADCs under the Manipur (Hill Areas) District Council Act, 2008.
Talking to media persons today in his chamber, chief minister O.Ibobi Singh said that the whole electioneering process to the ADC polls will be completed within the month of May and the results of the elections will be declared in the first week of June. He said that the ‘detailed schedule’ for the elections will be notified soon by the State Election Commission.
O. Ibobi Singh said that drastic actions will be initiated against the imposition of blockade along the national highways. The chief minister also said that the government is studying to legislate laws to term the imposition of blockade as ‘anti-national’. “We cannot tolerate such act of imposing blockade on the national highways. We take such act of calling blockade very seriously. We will take drastic action against such act of calling blockade,” asserted O.Ibobi Singh. “Under any circumstances we will hold elections to the Autonomous District Councils in the hill districts of Manipur.”
O.Ibobi Singh also said that whenever he goes to New Delhi to meet the Prime Minister the latter always asks him why the local governing bodies’ election in the hills are not held for so long when the government has been conducting it in the valley for the same.
It may be mentioned that the social and students’ organisations of the tribal community in Manipur have been agitating against the holding of elections to the Autonomous District Councils under the present status of Manipur (Hill Areas) District Councils Act, 2008 (Third Amendment). The All Naga Students’ Association, Manipur (ANSAM) has been imposing blockade along the two national highways leading to Manipur since April 11 midnight.
During the agitation, the blockade supporters have damaged scores of trucks along the national highways. However, chief minister O.Ibobi Singh said that Amendment of the Act can be always done from time to time after the elections.