Imphal, Dec 1 (IANS) The Manipur government, on Monday, in a significant step, decided to constitute state-level and district-level committees with immediate effect to strengthen ongoing efforts for the rehabilitation and resettlement of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), who have been staying in relief camps since the ethnic violence broke out in May 2023.

A senior state government official said that the decision to constitute high-level committees reflects the government’s commitment to ensuring a coordinated, responsive, and people-centred approach to restoring stability and supporting affected families.

The state-level committee, chaired by the Chief Secretary Puneet Kumar Goel and comprising the Commissioners of Finance, Home, and Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Departments, with the Special or Additional Secretary (Home) serving as Convenor, will provide strategic oversight and policy direction.

This high-level body is designed to ensure unified decision-making, enhance inter-departmental coordination, and address systemic issues that may affect the overall progress of rehabilitation and resettlement efforts across the state.

The official said that complementing this, District-Level Committees, chaired by the respective Deputy Commissioners and supported by the Project Director (DRDA), the Additional Deputy Commissioner as Convenor, the Chief Executive Officer of the Zilla Parishad, and the concerned Sub-Divisional Officers, will serve as the primary on-ground mechanism for implementation.

Their role is to drive field-level coordination, ensure seamless execution of rehabilitation measures, and provide timely feedback to facilitate swift decision-making at the state level, he added.

The committees are tasked with monitoring and coordinating all rehabilitation and resettlement initiatives for IDPs and addressing bottlenecks to ensure timely and efficient delivery of support.

This structured intervention is expected to streamline processes, enhance inter-departmental coordination, and ensure that assistance reaches families, the official said.

Meanwhile, ahead of the 10-day Sangai Tourism Festival, inaugurated at Hapta Kangjeibung in Imphal on November 21, various groups of IDPs and several Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), including the Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI), an umbrella body of several Meitei civil society organisations, had called for a cease-work strike and appealed to the people to boycott the festival and organised a series of protests.

Several police personnel and IDPs were injured after clashes broke out on different days in Imphal East district over the festival, which the government projected as an attempt to restore normalcy in the trouble-torn state.

The clashes occurred after men and women from Ekou, Dolaithabi and Yengkhuman localities, currently staying in several relief camps, tried to proceed to their original homes, but security forces stopped them from moving further.

The security forces resorted to cane charge and fired tear gas shells to disperse the mob, resulting in injuries to several IDPs and many policemen.

A spokesperson for the IDPs said that since the state government is organising the annual Sangai Tourism Festival from November 21 to 30, it is presumed that normalcy has been restored in their areas, and therefore, they should be allowed to return home instead of continuing in relief camps.

The IDPs staying in various relief camps across Manipur launched a month-long protest from Monday at Lamboikhongnangkhong in Imphal West.

The protesters are demanding that the government fulfil its assurance to facilitate their return to their homes within the month of December.

The state government has established more than 300 relief camps in Imphal valley and hilly regions to provide shelter to more than 59,000 men, women and children, who were displaced after the ethnic violence broke out in the state more than two-and-a-half-years years ago.

–IANS

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