IMPHAL, Jan 16 � The Hill Tribal Council (HTC) has alleged that the Government of Manipur is not sincere in developing Moreh, the town along the Indo-Myanmar border and warned that if the development programmes meant for the town not translated on the ground, the Central Government would be notified and a befitting agitation would be resorted to.
A press communiqu� from the Council has sought to highlight highhandedness of the bureaucracy and the Government, saying the majority of proposal under the 13th Finance Commission award for border area development of Moreh are being done without spot assessment and consulting the local people.
Since the local problems are best known by the local people, bypassing them has resulted in various development projects of the State and Central governments failing to achieve the objectives of the programme, which is a huge loss to the people, land and the Government. Only the cooperation of the local people will help in achieving the required objectives, it said.
The council has also expressed scepticism over the sincerity of the departments concerned in the execution of development projects. The proposal under the Border Area Development (BAD) for Moreh has been doubled, suggesting �sinister design to misuse the fund by all those involved in the implementation of the programme,� it alleged.
To obviate the possibility for misuse and misappropriation of funds, the council has claimed that it sought a meeting with the project director of the Manipur Development Society (MDS), Ningthem, at his residence to apprise him of the situation, but he refused to lend them an ear on several occasions.
The HTC has, therefore, decided not to remain a silent spectator but to oversee that the BAD programmes are implemented at the right places and deserving areas as per the exact amounts sanctioned and with quality work.
If the State Government and implementing agencies fail to utilise the said grant fund genuinely, the council will be compelled to state its grievances to the Central Government and will resort to any form of agitation for which the Government will alone bear the consequences, it has warned.
