Day: March 8, 2013

IMPHAL, March 8 NNN/UNA: Four bills were passed today on the last day of the fourth session of 10th Manipur Assembly. They were Manipur Appropriation (Number 1) Bill, 2013, Manipur Appropriation (Number 2) Bill, 2013 moved by Chief Minister O Ibobi Singh who also holds Finance portfolio, and Manipur Municipality Ombudsman Bill 2013 and Manipur Rural Local Bodies Ombudsman Bill 2013 moved by RD & PR minister Francis Ngajokpa.
The discussion on the passing of the three bills in the House was participated by MLAs Dr I Ibohanbi, DR Ng Bijoy, Y Surchandra and L Ibomcha. During the Question Hour of the last day of the assembly session, Works minister Kh Ratankumar said that the Government was making an effort to address the issue on regularization of eight PWD Assistant Engineers as well as seniority list soon.
The minister was responding to MLA L Ibomcha who moved a discussion on a matter of public interest motion in this regard. Saying that the PWD is the backbone of the development activities of the state, Ratankumar further pointed out that engineers of the department are playing major roles in many spheres.He said the Government does not take the issue lightly and that this had been discussed seriously twice by the Cabinet, expressing confidence that it would be addressed soon.
Meanwhile, the government has no enough fund/money to meet the demand of Village Defense Force (VDF) to increase their monthly honorarium for now said Deputy Chief Minister Gaikhangam, who is also in charge of Home on the last day of the three day sitting of the budget session.
The deputy chief minister was replying to the calling attention put up by the opposition leader L. Ibomcha Singh regarding the ongoing protest by the VDF personnel for increasing in their honorarium and provision of service security. Answering the calling attention the dy. chief minister said that during the appointment of the VDF personnel an agreement was sign under that their monthly honorarium will be Rs. 3000 plus some allowances which make up to Rs. 4000 per month clarified.
The government is fully aware that the honorarium get by the VDF personnel is not suitable with the time and their grievances apart from helping the security in maintaining law and order of the state, but right now the government is not in the condition to meet their demands added dy. chief minister. The demands of the VDF cannot be made as the government does not have enough fund as for now, the government will for sure consider the demands when the government have the sufficient fund.
The Deputy chief minister also informed that more than 20 VDF personnel have been terminated for sabotaging public properties of different district. Deputy Chief Minister, further appealed to the VDF personnel to stop their ongoing agitation and to join their duty station.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/four-bills-passed-on-the-last-day-of-the-assembly-session/

IMPHAL, March 8 NNN: It was utmost necessary to introduce a Special Intelligence Team (SIT) unit in Manipur too, said advocate Mukul Sinha on Friday. Sinha is the counsel for the petitioners in the six cases of extrajudicial killings in Manipur being probed by an independent Inquiry Committee appointed by the Supreme Court. He was interacting with media persons at the office of Human Rights Alert (HRA) in Imphal this afternoon.
Asked what outcome will be after the first hearing of the extrajudicial killings held here in Imphal, he said it was only a preliminary hearing and assured that the Supreme Court will be requested to set up a SIT unit in Manipur. He suggested that two or three cases of extrajudicial killing cases in Manipur be entrusted with the SIT. Asked what was his opinion on the number of encounters that took place in Manipur in the recent times, Sinha said as per the written evidences, it had been established that the security forces not only carried out cold blooded murders but also apparent that they seemed to be complacent with the crime they committed on the alleged offenders.
He called the term “reliable source” often used by security forces during encounters in the state as a “magic” word. “Paper works on encounters in Manipur between militants and security forces like the Assam Rifles and Manipur police are extremely poor and these are found turning and twisting,” he charged.
He alleged, “Even there is Superintendent of Police who is ignorant of denotified area of Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958 in the state. The media needs to sensitize on it.”
The independent Inquiry Committee appointed by Supreme Court to probe six different extrajudicial killings in Manipur held its proceedings at Imphal from March 3 to 8. The commission headed by Supreme Court Justice N Santosh Hegde, former Chief Election Commissioner JM Lyngdoh and retired DGP of Karnaka Police, Ajay Kumar Singh was established under the directive of the apex court on January 4, 2013.
The commission was set up following a recent petition filed by Extrajudicial Execution Victims’ Families Association, Manipur (EEVFAM) which pleaded for an independent probe into more than 1500 cases of extrajudicial killings in Manipur.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/sc-will-be-requested-to-set-up-a-sit-unit-in-manipur/