Imphal:

Days after Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh announced that the state government undertook equal efforts for the development of both valley and hill areas, top government officials said a higher amount of funds was sanctioned for hill than valley areas.

The Manipur government’s response comes after some Kuki groups, leaders and MLAs began accusing the state government of imbalanced allocation of the Central Road Infrastructure Fund (CRIF) under the Union Road Transport and Highways Ministry.

Ningombam Subhash, the Chief Engineer of Manipur’s Public Works Department, said between 2020-21 and 2024-25, Rs 2,395.51 crore was sanctioned for different road and bridge projects in the hill areas, while Rs 1,300.21 crore was sanctioned for valley areas.

He said Rs 1,374.81 crore and Rs 1,125.97 crore were sanctioned during the 2024-25 fiscal for hill and valley areas, respectively, for projects under the Road Transport and Highways Ministry, and the North Eastern Council.

According to the Chief Engineer, Rs 8,541.97 crore and Rs 351.8 crore were sanctioned for hilly and valley areas, respectively, for projects under the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd between 2020-21 and 2023-2024 financial years.

BJP MLA Paolienlal Haokip last week alleged 57 road projects worth Rs 399.36 crore were recently sanctioned for valley areas by the Road Transport and Highways Ministry. Calling it “neglect of hill areas of the state,” he posted on X, “All 57 road building projects only for valley Manipur districts. This is why Union Territory with a Legislature for the hills is a necessity.”

All 57 road building projects only for valley Manipur districts. This is why UT with legislature for the hills is a necessity. ⁦@PMOIndia⁩ ⁦@the_hindu⁩ pic.twitter.com/AyIZkwOMdC

— Paolienlal Haokip (@paolienlal) October 22, 2024

The Kuki tribes and the Meiteis have been fighting over a range of issues such as land rights and political representation. There are many villages of the Kuki tribes in the hills surrounding the Meitei-dominated valley. The ‘general’ category Meiteis want to be included under the Scheduled Tribes category, while the Kukis who share ethnic ties with people in neighbouring Myanmar’s Chin State and Mizoram want a separate administration, citing discrimination and unequal share of resources and power with the Meiteis.

The Chief Minister at an event last week said the state government never worked against any indigenous community in the state.

“We are committed to protecting the current as well as future generations from illegal immigrants (from Myanmar) and drug menace,” Biren Singh said, adding none of the 34 communities in Manipur are enemies.

He called for unity, and said people in the hill and valley areas are one and part of the state.

Political and insurgent group leaders of the Kuki tribes, however, want a separate land carved out of Manipur, without which no talks can be held and no internally displaced people can return.

Nearly two dozen Kuki-Zo insurgent groups that have signed the Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement with the Centre and the state government, Kuki groups such as the Indigenous Tribal Leaders’ Forum (ITLF) and the Committee on Tribal Unity (CoTU), and Kuki MLAs have been demanding the same thing – a separate administration. This demand has brought all of them on the same stage.