Time for people to unite, identify real enemies: Manipur CM

We are passing through a difficult phase today. This is not the first time that we are facing a difficult phase

PTI, Imphal, Jan 29, 2024 : Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh on Monday said the state is passing through a difficult phase and it is time for the people to unite and identify who the real enemies are.

He said this at the flagging-off ceremony of the Imphal Ring Road project.

"We are passing through a difficult phase today. This is not the first time that we are facing a difficult phase. During the 1992-1993 ethnic conflict, more than 1,000 lives were lost. Today we are struggling. We are dealing with elements who want to break up a state with more than 2,000 years of history", Singh said.

The Chief Minister further said that the state had not slept for more than nine months now, adding that more than 3,000 state forces have been deployed in peripheral areas.

Singh appealed to the people of the state not to foment disturbance in Imphal valley.

"Let the valley be peaceful. Let the protection of Manipur be our sole duty. No more rallies. Let's identify and face the real enemies of the state," he said.

The Chief Minister also said the state had improved a lot during the last six years, and the relationship between police and people had improved.

"However, we cannot tolerate elements who want to destroy the state by supplying drugs, by engaging in widespread deforestation and poppy cultivation and bringing in illegal immigrants from outside. We need to unite and stop making allegations. There may be lapses, but we need to forgive and forget to save the land," said the Chief Minister.

The Chief Minister made these statements at an event where he laid the foundation stone for the Imphal Ring Road Project, worth Rs 1,766 crore, at Takyel Khongbal Maning Leikai.

The Manipur government has undertaken this much-anticipated project with the objective of easing the problem of traffic congestion in Imphal areas, with financial assistance from the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

Regarding the Imphal Ring Road project, Singh stated that the Rs 1,700 crore project was prompted by the rising population and increasing traffic congestion within the capital, Imphal.

The project had been on the cards from 2015-16 but was expedited in 2020, following the intervention by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The project is being funded by the Asian Development Bank. The length of road to be covered under this is 51.23 km. It will be completed by December 2026.

Singh also highlighted on the development of 300-acre water bodies at Lamphelpat in Imphal West district at the cost of Rs 650 crore and a recreation centre.