Road leading to Heirok from Wangjing being blocked during the public meeting held today to discuss the shooting incident

Shooting of Heirok youth : Fresh appeal to KYKL/UNLF/KCP
Many begin homeward journey
By Our Staff Reporter
IMPHAL, Sep 16 : With the ban imposed by the proscribed KYKL and UNLF on the movement of the people of Heirok outside their locality being implemented through the shooting of a youth from Heirok on the thigh on September 15, about 50 people of Heirok staying in other parts of the State have started returning home.
Simultaneously a public meeting was held at Heirok today wherein fresh appeals were issued to the outfits to lift the ban imposed on them.
The youth, Laishram Shashikumar of Heirok Part II was running a pharmacy at RIMS road and he was shot on his thigh yesterday by suspected UNLF cadres, who reportedly said that he had not heeded the earlier warning not to venture outside Heirok.
KYKL and UNLF had decided to impose the ban on the movement of the people from Heirok following the decision of the people of Heirok to set up SPOs in the aftermath of the shooting spree during a Thabal Chongba festival in March this year, in which two persons including a girl were killed, while another girl was seriously injured, impairing her eye sight.
The recruitment process of the SPOs is over and at the moment the selected candidates are undergoing training.
The two outfits had earlier warned the JAC of Heirok to retract from the demand to set up the SPOs but since their warning was not heeded the ban was imposed.
According to a report received from Heirok, following the shooting of Shashikumar, about 50 people from Heirok, including Government employees who were staying in other parts of Manipur have started returning home.
Three students of KM Blooming School, Khanga-bok have also returned home.
To discuss the new development a public meeting was held at the ground of Primary School at Heirok Part II attended by over a thousand people.
Five resolutions were adopted after the meeting. The resolutions said that the people of Heirok have taken a serious note of the shooting of Shashikumar and to ensure that such incident does not recur, an agitation will be held later to show their opposition to such action.
The people also resolved to appeal again to the UNLF, KYKL and KCP to revoke the ban imposed on the people of Heirok. The KCP had supported the stand of the KYKL and UNLF.
The other resolutions adopted included, urging the Govt to ensure security for the people of Heirok, to urge the Government to bear the medical expenses of Shashikumar and to highlight the resolutions through the media.
Earlier in the day, before the public meeting was held, a road block was put up on the road leading to Heirok from Wangjing. Other roads leading to Heirok were also blocked.
Heirok AC MLA M Oken was barred by the people from venturing out of the place.
The meeting which started at about 3 pm stretched on till 6.30 pm and the road blocks were lifted after the meeting wound up.
Following the incident yesterday, security was beefed up in and around Heirok and in other sensitive parts of Thoubal district.
Shashikumar is recuperating at the hospital.

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Relief fund for disaster victims goes missing

Aizawl, Sep 15 : The Mizoram Kuthnathawktute Joint Action Committee, a joint committee of laborers and farmers association in Mizoram has accused the state government of misusing funds meant to provide relief for victims of disasters due to the torrential rainfall last year which led to devastation of farms, small factories and displacement of over hundred families.

F Lalnienga, chairman of the committee claimed that the committee has reason to believe that the Mizo National Front (MNF) government has misused the ‘Flood/Monsoon Relief’ fund meant to provide aid to victims of the flood for distributing free supplies of rice to MNF party members.
F Lalnienga went on to say that the fund was sanctioned after a joint proposal was submitted by the joint action committee and the state government under the National Calamity Contingency Fund. However, the fund was misused and only went to members of the MNF party. “The state government never called upon our help for distribution of the fund but chose to rely on the central Young Mizo Association (YMA) and the church instead,” he said.

The joint committee asked the state government to reveal the distribution of the fund through the RTI Act and found that no fund was received during 2007-2008. The central government sanctioned Rs. 23.52 crores for relief during the fiscal year 2007-2008, 9.78 rupee crores of which has been released. The state government explained that as the fund has not been received in full, the fund has not been released by the state till today.

Speaking at the Aizawl Press Club today, F Lalnienga beseeched that a number of farms and fish farms were devastated by torrential rainfall last year. As a result of this and the Mautam famine, farmers and cultivators in the state had to rely on relief funds for their livelihood. Various farmers’ association decided to form a committee and had a meeting with the chief minister, chief secretary and department heads on September 24, 2007 for making proposal to the central government for sanctioning of relief fund for victims of natural disaster.

Deputy Commissioners of each district gave report on the extent of damage suffered in their respective districts. After reports were sent in, the state government submitted proposal for relief fund to the central government after which the central government sanctioned Rs. 49.60 crores on June 2, 2008 under the National Calamity Contingency Fund. “However, the funds sanctioned still have not been distributed to the victims of the disaster. We are now giving a deadline to the state government to distribute the relief fund before the end of September 19, 2008 to victims of the disaster. We do not wish to resort to violence but we are willing to sacrifice everything we have until we get our fair share from the state,” Lalnienga said.

The Mizoram Kuthnathawktute Joint Action Committee is a committee set up by representatives of the All Mizoram Farmers Union, Mizoram Cultivators and Labors Union, Zoram Kuthnathawktu Pawl, Zofishfed, Mizoram Fish Farmers Association, Mizoram Passion Fruit Growers’ Association and the Zoram Anthurium Growers Association.

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