State govt asks Union home minister for more security forces

IMPHAL, Feb 4: The state government of Manipur has requested the Central government to deploy more secuirty forces in the state to handle the current law and order situation in the state, expressed the Union home minister P Chidambaram who visited the state capital for three hours today.The Union minister who reached Imphal`s Tulihal airport around 8.45 am in the morning in a special aircraft was accompained by home secretary Navin Verma. He was received by Lok Sabha MP Rishang Keishing, Rajya Sabha MP Dr. T Meinya, Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) president Gaikhangam, power minister Phungzathang, works minister K Ranjit, education minister L Jayentakumar, PDA chairman Dr. Kh Loken, IFCD minister Biren and other state MLA`s as well as other top officials and bureaucrats and also MPCC functionaries.As soon as he arrived in the capital the Union minister directly went to meet the chief minister of the state at his bungalow where they held an hour-long meeting which also included the chief secretary, senior cabinet ministers, top officials, bureaucrats, state DGP and other top officials of the state and Central security forces like the Assam Rifles, BSF, CRPF and Army.The meeting mainly focussed on the AR-IM stand off at Shiroi village and the security forces are likely to table a brief account on the developing situation in the state.After meeting with the chief minister the Union minister visited the Governor of the state Gurbachan Jagat at Raj Bhavan where he discussed possible steps for the development of the state and how to bring peace in the state. Later, he left the Raj Bhavan for the airport.Talking to the local media persons at the airport the Union home minister maintained that he had a meeting with the chief minister of the state and other top officials on development and law and order aspects of Manipur and also mentioned that violence by the militants would not be tolerated at any cost.The problem of extortions in the state which had caused the slow progress of development should immediately stop, he said while asking the state government to take all steps to clear all such issues urgently.Although the Union home minister was deeply concerned about the current issues like the matter at Siroy village he did not give any comments on the queries of the mediapersons.Later, the Union minister left Imphal for Dimapur in Nagaland around 12.45 pm. It may be mentioned that the state government had received an intimation containing the tentative programme of his tour in the state very late yesterday and took up strict security measures in the state for his arrival.