Imphal, Aug 7 : In the midst of heavy agitations going on to make SADAR Hills into a full fledged district which have left three people to death and a number vehicles burnt, a demand to bifurcate Chandel into two different districts has come into surface recently.
The Kuki Students Organisation (KSO), Chandel and Kuki Chiefs Association (KCA), Chandel has now demanded the state government to split Chandel into Chandel and Tengnoupal districts separately.
They also threatened the government to block NH 39 and call a total bandh of Chandel district if the demand of Sadar Hills District Demand Committee to make Sadar Hills into a full fledged district was not met.
Briefing media persons at a press conference held at Molnoi, in Chandel, Lathjalen Mate, President of KSO, Chandel said that the District Demand Committee, Tengnoupal had submitted a memorandum to the Chief Minister way back in 2006 demanding to bifurcate Chandel into Chandel district and Tengnoupal district.
It is very unfortunate on the part of the Chief Minister to have sidelined this issue when he announced recently that the government is considering to bifurcate Ukhrul district into Ukhrul North and South and also to bifurcate Churchandpur into Thanlon and Tipaimukh districts.
KSO president further said that this shows his total negligence and detestation for the people of Chandel.
He further said that Tengnoupal has got the required population to be made into a separate district.
Apart from this the people of Tengnoupal is having a hard time to go to Chandel head quarter for all administrative works.
So the District demand committee, Tengnoupal, has now come up with different strategies to strengthen its demands.
Supporting the demand for a full fledged Sadar Hills, he said that the demand is a 39 year long demand.
Before announcing the formation of any other new district, whether of Ukhrul, Churchandpur or Jiribam, the government should first announce Sadar Hills as a district.
If their demands are not met by the government in due time KSO will be forced to block NH39 along Moreh road and call a total bandh of Chandel district.
Speaking on the occasion, TL Paokhokhai, President of KCA said that the demand to bifurcate Chandel has been initiated since 1970 .
The government should consider it on priority basis.
Hueiyen News Service