The Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) has strongly reacted to the announcement made by the government to shift the permanent campus of the National Institute of Technology (NIT) Manipur from its existing allotted site today, alleging that the move ignored years of planning and substantial progress made under the previous Congress government.
The issue was raised during a press conference addressed by former Chief Minister and Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee President Okram Ibobi Singh at Congress Bhawan, Imphal. The press conference was attended by AICC CWC Member Gaikhangam, former Education Minister and former MPCC President Moirangthem Okendro, former Minister Dr. Kh. Ratankumar, former Speaker Thokchom Lokeshwar Singh, former Minister Dr. Kh. Loken Singh, former Working President Devbrata Khumanthem, MPCC Working President Victor Keishing, MPCC Vice Presidents Tilotama Loitongbam and Hareshwar Goswami, along with PCC members and office bearers.
Okram Ibobi said that during the Congress government, around 341.5 acres of land had already been allotted for the permanent NIT campus officially in 2014-2015, and the land records (Jamabandi) had been completed. He maintained that there was no justification for relocating the institute to another district. He further recalled that the previous Congress government had acquired the land after compensating pattadars whose land fell within the project area, describing the process as a difficult but necessary exercise undertaken in the larger public interest.
Speaking to the media, former Education Minister Moirangthem Okendro expressed surprise over Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh’s reported statement that the government would provide a permanent campus for NIT Manipur at Kakching.
Responding to the Chief Minister’s claim that the existing site was waterlogged, Moirangthem Okendro clarified that the waterlogging affected only the area where temporary barracks had been constructed. He explained that in 2014–15, when Y.S. Rajan was Chairman of the Board of Governors of NIT Manipur, temporary accommodation barracks were built with the understanding that they would serve for about five years before shifting to permanent buildings within the same allotted campus.
He stated that construction of the permanent infrastructure within the allotted land was already underway and questioned why the government was considering shifting the campus without first assessing the progress of the ongoing works.
Criticising the present government, Okendro alleged that it had failed to take any significant initiative regarding the permanent campus over the past ten years and was now attempting to relocate the institute without adequate justification.
Maintaining that there was no need to shift the NIT campus from its already allotted site, he appealed to the people of Manipur, particularly student organisations, to examine the issue carefully and hold discussions before any decision was taken.