Imphal: Manipur chief minister N. Biren Singh expressed his regret to the people of the state for the violence that has been occurring since May 3, 2023, and appealed to forgive and forget the past while striving for peace and harmony in the New Year.
The chief minister made this remark to reporters at his residence in Imphal on Tuesday as he highlighted the achievements of the government and its plans for the coming year.
“Peace is being restored in the state, and the only solution lies in discussion and dialogue, which the central government has already initiated.”
Of the approximately 6,000 arms, ammunition, and explosives looted from state armories, over 3,000 arms have been recovered, 625 individuals have been arrested, and a total of 12,247 FIRs have been registered, the chief minister said.
Too restore peace, a total of 2,058 displaced families have been resettled in their original homes, including areas in Imphal West, Imphal East, Kangpokpi, and Churachandpur, he added.
To curb violence along the national highways in Manipur, the government has deployed 17 and 18 additional companies of security personnel along NH-2 (Imphal-Dimapur) and NH-37 (Imphal-Silchar via Jiribam), respectively. The security forces include the Indian Army, CRPF, BSF, and State Police, he said.
Incidents of firing in peripheral areas have decreased following the deployment of central forces in vulnerable zones bordering hill and valley districts, he added.
Biren announced that among the 1,946 Indian Reserve Battalion (IRB) personnel, former Colonel Sanjenbam Nectar will provide special combat training to 1,000 newly recruited IRB personnel. As part of security measures, the Manipur government has purchased 40 bulletproof vehicles, including 10 Mine-Protected Vehicles, Mini Machine Guns (MMGs), sniper rifles, and other equipment to manage law and order effectively, he said.
Manipur government is prioritizing assistance to displaced people affected by the ongoing violence, he added.
“Manipur grapples with the influx issue, both internally and externally. The government is efforting to identify illegal migrants entering the state without Inner Line Permit. Regarding illegal immigrants, the biometric registration process is being taken up,” the chief minister said.
To address illegal population influx, Aadhaar-linked birth registration will be introduced starting January 2025. In the first phase, this initiative will be implemented in three districts and launched on January 15 next year. Birth registration will be mandatory, he added.
“This initiative was taken after discovering a 420 percent population increase in electoral roll in some districts of Manipur,” he said.
+ There are no comments
Add yours