Manipur Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla visited Churachandpur and Bishnupur districts on Tuesday and interacted with different Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), so appealing to the leaders to work cooperatively with the government in peace-building activities on his first visit following office.
According to a Raj Bhavan source, the Governor also visited many relief camps in the districts of Bishnupur and Churachandpur and engaged with displaced people, who have been staying in the camps since the ethnic violence erupted in Manipur in May 2023.
“The Governor assured to extend support to the displaced people after patiently hearing the difficulties they encountered,” the official said. At Churachandpur College, Bhalla opened a recently built IT centre and engaged with the pupils.
At the Deputy Commissioner’s Office in Churachandpur, the Governor convened a crucial meeting where he engaged several CSOs. “The Governor appealed to the leaders of the CSOs to work cooperatively with the administration in peace-building efforts,” the official said.
Later, he visited the Churachandpur Sadhbhavna Mandap Relief Camp and met with the displaced people while distributing relief supplies.
The Governor visited the Chingnu Thangjing Guest House Relief Camp in Moirang in Bishnupur District on his way back to Imphal and spoke with the residents and provided relief supplies.
next his assumption of the governorship of Manipur on January 3, Bhalla met with the top security authorities the next day to go over the law and order condition of the problematic state.
The Governor encouraged Army and paramilitary officials to provide their complete assistance to the government in preserving peace and order in the state and directed the state Director General of Police Rajiv Singh to give the safety and security of the people top importance.
Having served as the top official of the Ministry of Home Affairs for a long period, Bhalla, a 1984 batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer from the Assam-Meghalaya cadre, has great expertise handling the several crises in the northeastern area.
When the ethnic violence started in Manipur on May 3, 2023 between the majority Meitei and minority Koki-Zo people, he was the Union Home Secretary.
Over 250 men and women from both tribes were killed, over 1,000 were injured, and over 60,000 people were uprooted from their homes and villages during the 20-month-long ethnic warfare. (IANs)
