Heirok SPOs to follow Sharmila

Imphal, Dec 22 : The special police officers (SPOs) recruited for protection of Heirok in Thoubal district of Manipur may follow in the footsteps of human rights crusader Irom Sharmila instead of guarding the village with arms.

Sharmila has been on a fast unto death since November 2000 demanding lifting of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958.

For the second consecutive day today, 300 SPO trainees continued their protest against the state government’s indecision on their future by refusing to attend training classes at the Manipur Police Training School.

“We are contemplating a hunger strike if the government fails to respond to our demand for a clear policy on our future. We will wait for some more days. If no response comes, we will go on a hunger strike,” an SPO said on condition of anonymity.

The SPOs launched their agitation yesterday. They held a sit-in at the training ground.

They remained confined to their respective barracks at the training school located at Pangei in Imphal East district.

“First we were told that the training is for one month. On completion of the training, we were again told that the training will last for three more months. Now it has been six months and we do not know when it will be over and we will go back to our village,” the SPO said.

The revolt came after they submitted a memorandum to the government seeking a clear policy on their future. “We are not receiving any response from the government. We are disillusioned and our morale is down as our future is uncertain. We may follow in the footsteps of Sharmila to seek justice,” the SPO said.

The SPOs also complained that they were not provided woollen clothes and blankets. “We have to arrange these for ourselves. This is winter and how can we do without sweaters? The government is indifferent to our plight,” a trainee said.

The SPOs are also planning to approach the Union home ministry if the government remained indifferent.

“We want to go back to our village and perform our duties as village guards. But the government has not taken any step for construction of barracks for the SPOs at Heirok,” another SPO said.

RTI is a steering which leads govt off corruption :Ibobi

Imphal, Dec 22 : Manipur Chief Minister Okarm Ibobi today said that Right to Information Act, 2005 is like the steering of a vehicle moving on the roads, it steers a government off corruption and makes it transparent and accountable.

The Chief Minister was speaking as the chief guest at the inaugural function of a seminar on the theme "Role of Legislators in the implementation of Right to Information Act" held at the state Legislative Assembly Complex here under the aegis of Former Presiding Officers' Forum, Manipur.

O Ibobi further said that the real objective of the Act is to make a democratic form of government transparent and accountable by eradicating corruption.

The trouble is that though people have appreciated the RTI Act so much, little is known about it to the people.

He said, the seminar organised by the Former Presiding Officers' Forum would provide an opportunity for the legislators who are the representatives of the people to know more about the Act so that they would be able to go in the right way.

If the Forum could spread better awareness about the Act through media to the people, it's hoped that the (present) government would have more transparency and accountability.

"With this Act, let's make our society a society full of transparency and accountability without corruption," Chief Minister O Ibobi said.

Delivering valedictory speech, Manipur Assembly Speaker Dr S Budhichandra, who presided over the inaugural function, opined that in making a democratic set up more perfect, Right to Information was very important.

It was questionable whether the rules and regulations of the Act were properly functional, Dr Budhichandra said and added, nobody should misuse the Act and it should be used properly for the betterment of the society.

President of the Former Presiding Officers' Forum, W Angou pointed outin his introductory speech of the seminar that inorder to facilitate transparency and accountability in a government and to eradicate the evils of corruption, all citizens must know the policies and programmes of the government and their objectives fully, The RTI Act provides that opportunity, he said.

Angou further pointed out that making good use of the provisions of the RTI Act, the NGOs and civil society organisations could make the poor and weak sections of the people of the state avail of the benefits of the various social welfare schemes and development programmes.

He expressed concern that the legislators of the state and the Centre, who themselves were the makers of law, haven't paid special attention to disseminating wide-spread awareness among the people to fulfill the objective of the Act.

Former Speakers of Manipur Legislative Assembly, Y Yaima and W Angou chaired the seminar.

Many ministers, MLAs, ex-MP, ex-MLAs and other experts took part in the seminar and discussed various issues relating to the RIT Act.

Hueiyen News Service