Tamenglong CSOs submit memo to Governor, issue 5-day ultimatum over ration, health, and power woes

A coalition of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in Tamenglong district submitted a strongly worded memorandum to the Governor of Manipur on Thursday, issuing a five-day ultimatum for urgent redressal of long-pending developmental, healthcare, and administrative issues.

The memorandum, routed through the Deputy Commissioner of Tamenglong, follows a massive public rally held earlier in the day at the District Headquarters. The demonstration witnessed widespread participation from residents of Tamenglong, Tousem, and Tamei subdivisions, unified in protest against the prolonged neglect by the government on critical district matters.

The CSOs — including ZNCM, RNCM-TL, LNCM-TZ, INU-TZ, CSAT, JTWA, and VACC from all three subdivisions — outlined 11 pressing concerns, ranging from healthcare collapse and power shortages to food distribution failures and alleged land encroachment.

Among the top demands is the immediate delivery of two-month pending ration quotas under the National Food Security Act (NFSA). The CSOs also raised alarm over severe staffing shortages in the district hospital and primary health centres, especially in Tousem and Oinamlong, and called for infrastructure upgrades and the establishment of long-demanded healthcare units such as a proposed PHC in Aziuram.

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The memorandum includes findings from a CSO-led inquiry into NFSA rice distribution, revealing potential malpractice. According to statements from truck drivers, there were discrepancies between official gate passes and actual quantities delivered. Furthermore, signatures on gate pass documents were allegedly forged, suggesting possible diversion of essential food supplies.

"Years of memorandums and silence have brought us here," said a CSO representative at the rally. “From ration to roads, from hospitals to power — this is not governance, this is neglect disguised as governance.”

The CSOs have demanded a formal public response from the Governor’s office, written updates and timelines from relevant departments, and immediate redressal of healthcare and food security issues.

A five-day ultimatum, effective from July 18, has been set. Failure to meet the demands, the memorandum warns, will trigger intensified democratic agitation — including indefinite protests, road blockades, and mass mobilisations.

The organisations made it clear that the responsibility for any resulting unrest would rest squarely on the authorities who continue to ignore the voices of Tamenglong’s people.

The Governor’s office and district administration are yet to respond to the memorandum.