IMPHAL, Nov 15: Former Manipur chief minister and senior
Congress leader Okram Ibobi Singh stressed the urgent need for
taking up a special measure for children affected by ongoing
violence in Manipur.
Ibobi Singh was talking to the media on the sideline of the
celebration of the 134th birth anniversary of Jawaharlal Nehru,
the first Prime Minister of India which the country, celebrated
as Children’s Day at Imphal Congress Bhavan recently.
As per a government report, over 12,694 children affected by
the ongoing violence erupted on May 3 last are lodging at
different relief camps across the violent affected districts.
The former chief minister said that being unable to resolve the
crisis even after more than six months is a very unfortunate
one.
“If there is a problem, to find ways to resolve the problems is
very much a must and it is an indispensable task of the
government to find the ways,” he said.
“However, even after more than six months, both the Centre
and the state government are not taking up any step to resolve
the crisis”, he lamented.
“In such a situation, there is the need for a concerted effort to
resolve the crisis with the notion that there is no room for
violence in a democratic country,” he added.
The violence erupted on May 3 last and rendered homeless to
thousands of people after their houses were torched.
Thousands of people are currently taking shelter at various
relief camps.
Hundreds of children are among the displaced people taking
shelter in the relief camps. Most of the children suffered from
post-traumatic stress disorder owing to their exposure to the
violence coupled with prolonged confinement to the relief
camp made the children, he observed.
The former chief minister drew the attention of the state
government to take up special measures for these children
affected by the violence to address their emotional toll.
He said that there is the urgent need for taking up certain steps
to address the plights of the children affected by the violence
as they are prone to suffering from mental health problems.
He observed that many children staying in the relief camps are
suffering from mental trauma. In such a situation, the
government needs to give special emphasis to ensure the
children have a normal life.
The government must take this condition of the children
seriously as they are the future pillars of the nation, Ibobi also
said.
Reiterating that a concerted effort is the need of the hour, the
former chief minister said that all should support the efforts to
resettle the displaced people.
The Congress supported various programmes initiated by the
government for the welfare of the displaced people staying in
the relief camps, he said.
“However, the Congress would like to suggest that instead of
constructing temporary shelter houses for the displaced
people, it would be better on the part of the government to
take up a long lasting arrangement,” he suggested.
Earlier, prominent leaders of the Congress including MPCC
president K Meghachandra, CLP leader and former chief
minister O Ibobi, CWC member Gaikhangam and other led the
party members and workers in paying floral tribute to former
Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru on his birth anniversary at
Congress Bhawan, Imphal.
To mark the celebration of Children’s Day, party leaders and
members also visited some relief camps and offered Children’s
Day gifts to the children staying there. (NNN)
