MAKHEL, Sept 13 - The Tribal Affairs and Hills Department of Manipur is all set to develop the first ever tribal freedom fighters� museum at Makhel village in Senapati district bordering Nagaland.
Tribal Affairs and Hills/Fisheries Minister N Kayisii, accompanied by Public Health Engineering Minister and local MLA L Dikho, senior officials of the department and district officials, today laid the foundation stone of the proposed museum at Makhel, a hill village inhabited by the Mao community, located about 105 km north of Imphal.
Addressing the brief function at the proposed site, minister Kayisii stated that the upcoming museum is the first of its kind in the North East, and sought the cooperation of the people in developing it. He also thanked the people of the village for donating 23.6 acres of land for the museum.
In his speech, minister Dikho, who is the local MLA, said that the museum would help in creating a platform for different communities of the State to have frequent interactions and bring better understanding among them.
Additional Chief Secretary (Tribal Affairs and Hills Department) Letkhogin Haokip, Director of Tribal Affairs and Hills Department C Arthur Worchuiyo, Senapati district DC Somorjit Salam and A Kapani, chairman of the Autonomous District Council, Senapati, were also present during the day�s function.
�We are still preparing the details of the project in terms of the timeline,� Director Worchuiyo said. �We have also formed an expert committee by including academicians from the Manipur University who will visit different tribal locations to learn the narrative of the tribal freedom fighters, especially during the British period,� he added.
The project, which is estimated to cost around Rs 15 crore, will start once the museum narrative is approved of by a competent authority, Worchuiyo said. So it will take some time, he added.
According to Tribal Affairs and Hills Department officials, there is a national-level tribal freedom fighters� museum in Gujarat and seven other tribal freedom fighters� museums in other parts of the country.
