A security personnel keeps guard in a bunker at a border area

Sanitising Loktak Lake After Hovercrafts it is now armed speed boats By Our Staff Reporter IMPHAL, Feb 16 : After Hovercraft it is now armed speed boat to be utilised for flushing underground cadres from Loktak Lake and the surrounding areas. The decks have been cleared for the State police to be equipped with the state of the art armed speed boat used by the Coast Guard and the Army to flush out militants holed up in Loktak Lake and the surrounding areas. The new initiative has been taken up as sanitising Loktak Lake has become the top agenda of the State Government. Speaking to The Sangai Express a reliable source said that following a green signal from the Union Home Ministry the process of purchasing the speed boat has started to primarily flush out militants from Loktak Lake and the surrounding areas. Stating that a clear cut instruction was issued by Union Home Minister P Chidambaram during his recent visit to Imphal to take up all possible measures to rein in the militants, the source said that the State Government mooted the proposal of procuring the speed boats. During his visit here, the Union Home Minister was categorical in stating that extortions by militant groups need to be checked. To procure the speed boats, the State Government has despatched the SP of Bishnupur police K Jayenta and OC of Bishnupur police commando Sudhir to Kochi in Kerela to assess the speed boats, said the source. The speed boats will be assessed by the State police team as well as by personnel from the Coast Guard and the BSF, said the source and added that a minute study will be conducted to see whether the speed boat can be used on Loktak Lake. The State police team presently at Kochi along with officers from the Coast Guard and the BSF will also inspect three Hovercrafts. Each Hovercraft will have the capacity to seat 5 to 10 people. The source said that the decision to acquire the speed boats and the relatively smaller Hovercraft was taken because it will be more convenient at Loktak Lake. Towards acquiring the three Hovercrafts a meeting chaired by the Union Home Secretary Madhukar Gupta and attended by the State Additional Chief Secretary DS Poonia, DGP Y Joykumar and officers from the Water Wing of the BSF and Coast Guard was held at Delhi last month. To flush out militants from Loktak Lake as well as to save it from further degradation, the State Govern- ment has already finalised the recruitment process of the Loktak Lake Protection Force. Moreover five sites have been identified to station the personnel. The State Cabinet had also earlier instructed the DGP to open a Special Cell to check the activities of militants.

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A tough Chief Minister says no to designated camps here while inspecting the works for JNIMS

N o designated camp will be allowed: CM By Our Staff Reporter IMPHAL, Feb 4: The State Government being not a party to the truce pact signed between the Government of India and NSCN (IM), ceasefire between the two parties should not be enforced in Manipur and no designated camps of the rebel group would be allowed within the boundary of Manipur, stated Chief Minister Okram Ibobi. The Chief Minister was speaking to reporters during his inspection visit of the ongoing infrastructure deve- lopment work for the Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences at Porompat this morning. He was accompanied by Health Minister Ph Parijat and Works Minister K Ranjit. Without specifically stating that the peace talk with the Union Government is with a rebel group based in Nagaland to which the State Government is not a party, the Chief Minister categorically stating that the State Government is not a party to the parleys between Government of India and NSCN (IM), the Chief Minister asserted that the State Government would not allow extension of the ceasefire within the boundary of Manipur nor permit establishment of any designated camp for the rebel group in the State. No UG group will be allowed to open their camps in Manipur, unless the group(s) strike an agreement with the State Government first, the Chief Minister said. However, demands for sovereignty from any UG group will not be considered as Manipur is a part of democratic, sovereign country of India, he asserted. On being asked about the recent siege laid by Assam Rifles around an NSCN (IM) camp at Siroy and subsequent safe passage given to the rebel cadres till a designated camp located in Senapati district which AR claimed to have been ‘approved’, Ibobi denied existence of any such camp. There was no ‘identified’ NSCN (IM) in Manipur, he asserted. Notably, proposals were made for NSCN (IM)’s designated camps at Tamenglong, Senapati and Chandel to the then incumbent Governments at both the State and Centre in 1998, 2000 and 2001. During the tense Siroy stand-off between AR and NSCN (IM), the State Government conveyed its stance explicitly to the Prime Minister and the Union Home Minister that no designated camp for NSCN (IM) will be allowed in Manipur. Moreover, troops deployed in the State were also informed that there was no harm in performing their duties, he stated. Talking about the tripartite peace talk between KNO, UPF, the State Government and the Union Government, Ibobi said that cadres of these two conglomerates of Chin-Kuki-Mizo UG groups will be issued identity cards after physical verification. Both the groups claimed to have 1800 cadres each but the State Government thinks the figure is inflated. Yet, leaders of these groups have been already issued identity cards. Funds have been sanctioned for construction of designated camps of these groups which have entered into Suspension of Operation (SoO) pact, Ibobi said. On being asked about when would formal talks begin with SoO signatories, the Chief Minister informed that formal talks will be initiated once identity cards are issued to the cadres and their designated camps constructed. Peace talks with the SoO signatories would be held under an understanding that the talks should be within the constitution of India and that there would be no disturbance to the territorial integrity of Manipur, Ibobi explained. Reminding that two rounds of preliminary talks have been held with the Lallumba group of KCP (MC), he said that necessary ground conditions are being made to initiate formal talk with the group. Asking about the Home Minister P Chidambaram’s instructions on extortion, the Chief Minister admitted that extortion activities in the State is too high. He claimed that the State Government has taken up several measures to check extortion. Referring to MPP’s statement that Manipur has gained freedom from white sahebs but still under black sahebs, the Chief Minister asked to corroborate the statement. He further called upon all concerned to fight collectively in a democratic manner to gain freedom from ‘black sahebs’ in case Manipur is yet to gain freedom from such people. Ibobi said that maiden session of the Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences will commence from August this year but construction work of the infrastructure will be completed within this month. Fuming that the engineering cell of the institute has failed to maintain proper quality in the construction works, Ibobi said that the engineering cell will be abolished after adopting a Cabinet decision to this end.

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