CM appeals to ugs to accept truce and save Manipur

IMPHAL, March 6: Chief Minister Radhabinod Koijam, pushing forward the peace initiative he began with the declaration of a month long unilateral ceasefire, has once again appealed to the underground groups to accept the government's offer to talks. Radhabinod Koijam, who returned today from New Delhi, was speaking at a function organised by the Thangmeiband Athletic Union, THAU, to felicitate him on assuming the Chief Ministership. The Chief Minister warned that it the underground groups rejected the talks offer, the ultimate consequences for Manipur would be severe. To save Manipur, he said, it was imperative for the misguided youths to come to the negotiating table. While informing the gathering that during his Delhi visit he had pressured the Union Defence Minister George Fernandez for raising a Manipur Regiment in the Indian Army, he said that the Army would be holding recruitment rallies at Imphal, Churachandpur and either Senapati or Ukhrul in April or May. He also disclosed that underground youths who have given up arms and returned to the mainstream would be given the first preference during the recruitment rallies. The Chief Minister, who represent Thangmeiband Assembly constituency, sought the blessing of the people of the constituency to serve the state as Chief Minister. He made it clear that the problem facing Manipur being extremely tough as well as numerous, the cooperation of the public was highly essential. Accusing the previous government of having seriously aggravated the financial situation by its shortsightedness policies, he remarked that making a recovery had become an extremely difficult. Making some hard-hitting points, he pointed out that the salaries and pensions bills were Rs 70 crore for a single month, and Rs 480 crore for the year. On the other hand, the annual plan outlay was only around Rs 425 crore. The Chief Minister, who also noted that the proportion of state government employees was very high as compared to many other states, wondered whether the state government was a government for its employees alone or for the 21 lakh people of the state.