IMPHAL, Jul 26: Inclusion of religious groups who follow the Meitei Sanamahi religion as minority groups will be done only after active consideration and keen examination, the state chief minister O Ibobi Singh said while replying to a query raised by MLA, Dr. Ng Bijoy Singh during the question and answer hour in the Assembly today.

Replying to further queries from Dr. Ng Bijoy Singh, the chief minister further mentioned in the House that as of now the state government had no policy for the inclusion of people who follow the Meitei Sanamahi religion as a minority group, and the matter would be considered only after the completion of the Household Schedule of Census 2011. So far the state government has not recommended the matter to the National Commission for Minorities, the chief minister said.

In the meantime, while supplementing the question, senior opposition MLA, O Joy drew the attention of the chief minister for initiating possible steps for the inclusion those who follow the Sanamahi religion in the Religion Code’s column 7.

The chief minister while replying to another question raised by MLA, Thangkholun Haokip clarified in the House that in order to solve the problems and grievances over the existence of overlapping villages found in between different districts and constituencies, a high level committee of the state chaired by the Chief Secretary, and having as members the Principal Secretary Hills, Commissioner Revenue, Director Settlement was constituted for proper enquiry and for taking appropriate action. Their enquiry report is yet to be submitted to the state government, he added.

The chief minister replying to supplementary questions, said that some villages under Chandel district had been included both in the (Hill) Autonomous District Council election and the (Valley) Gram Panchayat election, and similar overlapping of villages were also detected in Imphal West, Imphal East and Bishnupur and the matter had become known only after initiation of the Census 2011.

To yet another question raised by the MLA, Dr. Kh Ratankumar Singh, the chief minister who also holds the portfolio of the state MAHUD, mentioned in the House that so far a total of Rs. 114.98 lakhs had been released under the MAHUD for Mayang Imphal Municipal Council since 2007-08 till 2009-10, which includes honorarium for the Councillor amounting to Rs. 3.30 lakhs, payment of staff salary amounting to Rs. 45.20 lakhs, 12th Finance Commission Award of Rs 16.36 lakhs, 2nd State Finance Commission Award of Rs. 30.38 lakhs, and implementation of Swarna Jayanti Shahari Rojgar Yojana (SJSRY) of Rs. 19.72 lakhs.

The chief minister replied that most of the work implemented during the year 2007-08 and 2008-09 by the municipal council were recorded as completed but the Utilisation Certificates (UC) for the funds released for the 12th Finance Commission, 2nd State Finance Commission and SJSRY at the Mayang Imphal Municipal Council were yet to be received by the government till today.

Later, MLA,  Dr. Kh Ratankumar Singh drew the attention of the chief minister towards holding of elections to the four wards of the Mayang Imphal Municipal Council which remain pending till today.