Manipur News

IMPHAL, Dec 30 UNA : As a New Year gift, the Manipur electricity department is all set to launch a new scheme which a power consumer could get a benefit of 75% reduction of their total power due bill if the due bill is clear within a stipulated time.
The scheme called “Incentive Scheme” will launch on New Year day (January 1) and will be only for two months, that is, upto February 28.
Under the new scheme, if a consumer clears his or her due power bill within this two month period, authority of the power department will give a discount of 75% of the total due bill. The electricity department has a plan to extend the scheme for another one month if good response comes up from the consumers, an official source in the state electricity department said Sunday.
The new scheme will not cover offices under state and Central government, private undertaking, security establishments, autonomous district councils.
As per the source, the new scheme aims at collecting more revenue of the department from the default power consumers. None clearance of power bill by consumers has been a problem in improving the power supply in the state.
The department has a due of over Rs 231.66 crore which would be collected from the regular power consumers and the department is targeting to collect at least Rs 60 crore from the new scheme.
The department is all set to launch the scheme since a proposal for implementation of the new scheme was approved by a cabinet meeting convened on December 3 last under the chair of the chief minister O Ibobi Singh, the source added.
If regular power consumers fail to clear their due bills taking advantage of the new scheme, the department will take necessary action under Electricity Act 2003, the source said.
Power theft and non-clearance of power consumption charge by the consumers has been a real menace to the problem of power loss and the state electricity department has been launching stern drive in different parts of the state excluding the hill districts from the beginning of the year 2012.
The drive has been launched with an objective of solving the power crisis experiencing in the state as at the beginning of this year, overdue electricity bill of Rs 280 crores was with the regular consumers.
During the drive which is continuing till date, unauthorized power lines were disconnected and strict action were taken against the defaulters as per the electricity act.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/new-power-scheme/

Mail News Service
Imphal, Dec 30: A large crowd stormed Lilong PS demanding punishment of those who were involved in the killing of Md. Abdul Hakim (36) of Lilong Haoreibi Turel Ahanbi today.
A rally which started from near the residence of the victim stormed Lilong PS as shouted various slogans.
A memorandum was also submitted to CM through SDPO. The memorandum included punishment of those involved in the shooting of Hakim, a police officer not less than a DSP should investigate the case failing which banch will be launched on NH from January 2.
It may be mentioned here that Abdul Hakim was shot dead at Lilong Haoreibei Thong Ahanbi Duran Alup Road under Lilong PS in the morning of December 24.
In reply to the memorandum, the SDPO said police arrested four persons involved in the killing. They were Md. Ayub Khan (26), Lilong Turel Ahanbi Upak Thong Makha, Md. Nasir Ahmad (33) Lilong Turel Ahanbi, Md. Manor (38) Lilong Haoreibi Makha Leikai and Md. Islao Rahman (23) Lilong Haoreibi Turel Ahanbi near Dam.
The main accused is Abash Khan (31) of Thoubal Moijing. He had recently escaped from ortho general ward, JNIMS Hospital on December 22.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/protest-over-death-of-hakim/

Imphal Dec 30 UNA: The United National Liberation Front (UNLF) charged the central security force for torturing and arresting of innocent person of Jiribam in a false allegation of UGs said UNLF on Sunday.
The UNLF further clarified that Lourembam Bungton (35) s/o (L) Horsing of Kamrangkha of JIribam is not related to the outfit who was arrested by the Assam Rifles.
Arresting and torturing of the innocent person by the Indian security force clearly show that they did not have any respect or concern for the people of Manipur added UNLF press release.
Mention may be made here that due to frequent fake arrests staged by security personnel in Jiribam area, leaders and members of various Jiri based women’s bodies like AJMP, JIMPAL and WAKAK has attempted to ransack the house of a security personnel at Lakhipur yesterday.
However, the attempt was aborted when the security personnel produced Lourembam Bungton (35) s/o (L) Horsing of Kamrangkha and handed him over to the women folk.
L Bungton was arrested from his residence (Jiribam) by around five suspected security personnel in civic dress on December 27.
When the women folk enquired at the nearby AR post, they were reportedly told that no arrest was made. They were also told that a local AR man, who has been said to be involved in such arrest, was transferred from Jiribam a month ago.
Against at the response, several women folk asked the wife of the AR man to secure the release of Bungton. The women folk also warned the wife of the AR man that their house would be dismantled if Bungton was not released immediately.
Later, the man was handed over to the women folk.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/unlf-lauds-womenfolk-of-jiribam/

IMPHAL, Dec 30 UNA: A series of bomb blast incidents, a minister assaulting a youth during a government organized festival and sexual abuse of a female film actor, killing of a journalist in police firing brought infamy to Manipur in 2012, overshadowing the glory its sports persons achieved at the London Olympics.
Okram Ibobi government remained busy warding off people’s protests on many issues including blockade and counter blockade on national highways, matters arising out of Union home minister, Sushil Kumar Shinde’s invitation to him to Delhi to seek his opinions on the ongoing talks between NSCN-IM and Centre, violent protest in the wake of alleged molestation of a Manipuri film actress by a functionary of NSCN(IM) during a musical concert at Chandel on December 18 last.
Union home minister, Sushil Kumar Shinde has invited chief minister Okram Ibobi to Delhi to seek his opinions on the ongoing talks between NSCN-IM and Centre with the hope that the discussion will provide some lead to an agreeable solution on the vexed issue.
Even though Centre insisted Ibobi to help in settling the Naga political issue during the meeting with the Unon home minister, he (Ibobi) clarified that exact points of agreement reached between the Centre and the NSCN (IM) were not disclosed to him during the meeting and as such he was not in a position to help in it in response to demands of the various section of the society to disclose what the points which Centre asked him to help.
One hot issue of the year was the demand for a separate Kuki state to be formed by curving out Kuki inhabited areas of the state. On the demand, the Kuki State Demand Committee (KSDC) had imposed blockade on the state and national highways which evoked sharp reaction from Naga and Meetei based civil organizations when the KSDC came out with a map of the proposed Kuki state.
Another incident which nearly marred the Christmas celebration in the state was the alleged molestation of a film actor by Lt Col Rt Livingstone of NSCN (IM) during a musical concert on December 18 last. Decrying the act of the cadre of an outfit maintaining ceasefire trust with government India and demanding booking of the culprit, an indefinite bandh was imposed in the state before the Christmas festival.
The first three days of the indefinite bandh was marked by rampant violence and there were sharp criticism from various civil organizations, alleging that the bandh supporters indulged in activities which hurt the sentiment of a particular community. Authority of Manipur government even imposed curfew in valley districts.
Despite such crucial issues that had faced in Manipur during the current year, at least 105 bomb blasts were reported in the state, claiming life of nine people. Eighty-nine people were injured in the blasts. The blasts include hurling hand grenades at the house of individuals in connection with monetary demand and targeting security forces.
Constituents of Coordination Committee (CorCom) of seven underground outfits had engineered a series of explosions including on January 26, 2012, Republic Day and Independence Day celebration in the state.
A powerful explosion took place in Imphal during Republic Day celebrations at Thumbuthong in Imphal East District; and at Moirangkhom in Imphal West District. No causalities were reported. Further, unidentified persons lobbed a hand grenade at a market shed at Waheng Khuman in Bishnupur District, injuring five persons. CorCom claimed responsibility for all three attacks.
CorCom was formed in July 2011, when top leaders of seven underground groups operating from the Imphal Valley of Manipur met for two days (July 8 and 9) to discuss ‘revolutionary movements’ in Manipur and elsewhere in the South East Asian region, and agreed to form a Coordination Committee.
CorCom has since engaged in numerous acts of violence, with a particular intensity during the Assembly elections of January 2012. CorCom had declared a ‘ban’ on the ruling Indian National Congress (INC) and, accordingly, issued death threats and carried out numerous bomb blasts across the State, while openly claiming responsibility for its activities.
In a statement on January 4, 2012, CorCom declared that contesting on INC tickets, campaigning and organizing rallies for the INC were prohibited, and anyone defying this diktat would be ‘punished’. The ban, however, failed, and Okram Ibobi Singh was sworn in as chief minister for the third consecutive term, on March 14, 2012, with the Congress winning 42 out of 60 seats in the Assembly.
Manipur saw a sharp escalation of violence in the beginning of 2012. On March 21, 2012, the Union minister of state for home Jitendra Singh stated that Manipur had become the State worst affected by militancy in the country, overtaking Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) and other northeastern States, with 246 militancy-related incidents recorded in the first three months of the year. 34 such incidents occurred in J&K during the same period.
A compilation to militancy related incident from various sources indicates that 70 fatalities have been reported in the State, including 16 civilians, 9 Security Forces (SF) personnel and 45 militants, already exceeding total figure of 2011, at 65 fatalities.
CorCom was responsible for the maximum number of bomb attacks carried out across the State, and was also involved in a number of encounters with the SFs. Some significant incidents involving CorCom in 2012 included:
January 26, 2012: Two days before elections, at least four SF personnel and three militants were killed in two separate clashes in Manipur, at Aishi village in Ukhrul District and at Taretlok, bordering Thoubal and Ukhrul District.CorCom elements have also intensified their propaganda and drive against ‘outsiders’. The United Revolutionary Front (URF, set up on January 7, 2012, which collaborates with CorCom in their attacks against non-locals, but is not a member of CorCom), a conglomerate of five splintered factions of the KCP, in a statement issued by its secretary information and publicity’ A.K. Pibarel, on April 9, 2012.
The statement declared that it was not right to let outsiders claim ownership of all professional works in the state and that the indigenous people should be the right owners of Manipur and its markets, including all kinds of occupations or professions. Thereafter, on April 14, 2012, URF announced an ‘ordinance’ against all non-locals living in Manipur as part of its economic policy for indigenous people.
The 15- point ordinance, among other provisions, imposes a monthly ‘tax’ on all non-indigenous people, without considering the period of their settlement in Manipur.
Significantly, in a pre-dawn operation launched on August 30, 2012, by Manipur Police teams in Lilong and Hatta Golapati, two Muslim-dominated areas of Thoubal and Imphal East Districts, as a precaution to prevent an outbreak of Assam-like violence in the State, a total of 43 foreign nationals, including 24 Bangladeshis and 19 Myanmarese, were detained.
The crackdown on illegal migrants came close on the heels of a fresh campaign by civil society groups for the implementation of the Inner Line Permit (ILP) system in Manipur. The ILP is an official travel document required for Indian citizens to travel into restricted areas.
The Manipur Assembly passed a resolution in July 2012 to urge the Centre to introduce ILP in the State, to regulate the influx of migrants and foreigners. The Centre, however, is said to have no plans to extend the system, which exists only in Nagaland, Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh, to include Manipur.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/manipur-the-worst-affected-by-militancy/