Indian Tribal News Service
Guwahati/New Delhi
The Konsa Khul Areas Joint Action Committee (KKAJAC) and the Senjam Khunou & Senjam Chirang Joint Development Organisation (SKSCJDO) — the two outfits representing villages by the names — are at loggerheads over the National Sports University (NSU).
Demanding the renaming of the sports varsity as National Sports University Konsa Khul, the KKAJAC had given a 72-hour shutdown call, starting Wednesday midnight, in Manipur in protest against the refusal of the Government to rename the varsity as per their demand.
However, political intervention saw the outfit on Wednesday suspending its shutdown call with some reports suggesting that the development came after a meeting, chaired by Sports Minister Letpao Haokip, in which it was agreed to rename the NSU as NSU Konsakhul (Haraoching) as proposed by KKAJAC.
However, the State Government is likely to take the final decision on the issue after consulting all the stakeholders on December 11.
The Centre’s focus on North East can be gauged from Sports Minister Anurag Thakur’s statement in Parliament on Tuesday. He said 62 sports infrastructure projects of various categories of around Rs 423 crore were sanctioned in the North Eastern Region under Khelo India Scheme. “National Sports University has been established in Imphal, Manipur to promote sports education in sports sciences, sports technology, sports management and sports coaching. A North Eastern Regional Centre of Lakshmibai National Institute of Physical Education (LNIPE) is also operational since 2009-10 in Guwahati, Assam,” he said.
The SKSCJDO reacted sharply to the developments and warned that the State Government should not in any way compromise in matters related to NSU’s land ownership and nomenclature.
SKSCJDO issued a statement saying the sudden ownership claim of Konsa Khul over the NSU site is not acceptable. It condemned the proposed 72-hour total shutdown and said the land was bought by the forefathers of Senjam Khunou and Senjam Chirang, making it the true property of the Meitei.
Earlier, a statement issued by the Joint Tribes Association said the shutdown will impact the national highways and all national projects like the ongoing construction works of the railways and the tunnelling works. In response, the SKSCJDO also threatened a counter-shutdown.
Besides the warring tribal villages, the issue also has political connotations with the Congress and the BJP claiming credit for the NSU project being set up in the sports hub that has produced the likes of Mary Kom and Mirabai Chanu.
Former Chief Minister and CLP leader Okram Ibobi said, “It was during the Congress tenure that the Centre had sanctioned ₹100 crore for the first phase of the National Sports University. It is in recognition of the talents of the players of Manipur. We had acquired enough land in Thoubal district. However, the non-Congress Government in Manipur shifted the venue to Koutruk.”
With Assembly polls next year, Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh, who was also a noted football player, as also Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah have all been highlighting the NSU as one of their major projects for the State.
