Newmai News Network Imphal | December 13 Manipur Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh will inaugurate newly created districts of Pherzwal and Jiribam tomorrow,December 14, official sources informed on Tuesday. Pherzwal, earlier a part of Churachandpur district, will be inaugurated around 11 am. CM Ibobi will visit the new district by a helicopter for the scheduled function and from there he will fly to Jiribam for its inauguration. According to the official sources,Deputy Chief Minister Gaikhangam, local MLA Thoudam Debendra Singh and Revenue Minister Irengbam Hemochandra Singh will accompany CM Ibobi in his Jiribam visit. Jiribam near Manipur-Assam border was earlier a subdivision of Imphal East. The Manipur Chief Minister is likely to inaugurate the remaining districts in the next two-three days, the sources said. The Manipur government declared creation of seven new districts of Jiribam, Kakching, Pherzwal, Noney, Kangpokpi, Tengnoupal and Kamjong on December 9. Earlier, the number of districts was only nine—four in the valley namely, Imphal West, Imphal East, Thoubal and Bishnupur and five in the hills namely, Senapati, Ukhrul, Churachandpur, Chandel and Tamenglong. The state has a geographical area of 22,327 sq km and 90 percent of the total geographical area is covered by the hills and the remaining area is a small valley accounting for only one-tenth of the total area. The district creation move of the Ibobi government triggered more protests from the Nagaa. United Naga Council (UNC) continues its indefinite blockade on National Highways. Naga civil societies, including UNC, have pledged to intensify protest against the creation of new districts, saying the protest for protecting the rights, land and resources of the Naga people will be intensified. The UNC has long accused the state government of racial politics. Naga organisations said CM Ibobi’s “sinister design” to divide the Nagas inhabiting in different districts of Manipur will not be accepted by the Nagas. The United Naga Council is unlikely to withdraw the over 40-day old blockade even as essential commodities, including fuel, have taken a severe hit since the highways have remained disrupted from November 1. Meanwhile, the NSCN (IM) thinks the creation of seven new districts out of Naga areas in Manipur is disrespecting the authority of Indian state that is on talks with the outfit and described the move as a communal threat to the Naga people. The Naga outfit also accused CM Ibobi of communalizing the vote banks of the Nagas on one side and the Meiteis and Kukis on the other. It alleged that the district creation move of the Ibobi government was a deliberate conspiracy to gain political mileage because of the impending 2017 assembly polls. NPO cautions state govt Senapati, December 13 (NNN): The Naga People's Organisation (NPO) while taking strong exception to the declaration of the Kangpokpi district by the Government of Manipur with the same jurisdiction as the proposed Sadar Hills notwithstanding the four Memorandum of Understanding (MoUs), has said that the move to declare new districts without the consent of the people as announced by the government on many instances cannot be accepted. It asserted that Nagas can never accept "artificial boundaries created by such political agendas". The NPO then reiterated that no Naga villages would be allowed to be made as "minorities in the new districts". The NPO demanded that the state government withdraw its order on the creation of Kangpokpi district. "Any consequence arising out of this blatant disregard of the people’s sentiment will be the sole responsibility of the state government," it warned.
