Manipur violence: SC-appointed Gita Mittal panel visits strife-torn Kangpokpi, asks IDPs not to lose hope

The Supreme Court appointed High Power Committee's Head, Gita Mittal, former woman Chief Justice of Jammu and Kashmir High Court encouraged Internally Displaced Persons at Kangpokpi not to lose hope but to look forward to a better future as the prevailing violence will definitely end.

India's top court on August 7 appointed a three-member High Power Committee to be headed by retired Chief Justice of Jammu and Kashmir High Court, Gita Mittal and supported by former Delhi High Court judge Asha Menon and former Bombay High Court judge Shalini P Joshi. 

The committee, apart from investigation, will also look at issues pertaining to humanitarian aspects such as relief, rehabilitation, restoration so on. It will visit relief camps and oversee relief work. They will be submitting a report to the Supreme Court.

The three-member High Power Committee appointed by India's top Court visited the strife-torn Kangpokpi district today.

The all-women committee members headed by Gita Mittal were accompanied by the state Chief Secretary Dr. Vineet Joshi during their visit to the district.

Also Read: Manipur violence: CoTU lifts month-long economic blockade in Kangpokpi

The District Administration led by DC/DM Kangpokpi Mahesh Choudhury welcomed the SC's High Power Committee members while they had a meeting with the concerned departmental officials at the Conference Hall of the Deputy Commissioner office at Kangpokpi.

Among other agendas, the meeting mainly discussed health and medical-related issues.

Later, the team visited relief camps at Keithelmanbi Government High School and DIET Centre, Leikop where they interacted with the Internally Displaced Persons and provided some basic amenities and sports materials.

The former Jammu and Kashmir High Court Chief Justice, Gita Mittal said that every Indian across all corners of the country is with you during these trying times.

She said that the primary thing which had to be ensured by the Government when you were forced to leave your home and villages was to secure lives, to ensure essential requirements, such as shelter, food and nutrition, health and medicare, and a place where you can live with respect and dignity.

It was also equally important to restore schooling and college education for the children, she added.

She also said that relief has been ensured and education for children has been looked after and now we are looking at providing job opportunities and means of earning income for all of you.

She continued that once all these things are secure, the Government is already side by side looking at a very elaborate program of rehabilitation.

"As of now, it is not possible to say when or how soon it will be, but it will definitely happen, and you cannot lose hope for the future", she added.

The Supreme Court's High Power Committee head also announced that to facilitate medical treatment a chopper service from Kangpokpi to Dimapur has been started so that patients in need of urgent treatment can be shifted and moved.

She said that prefabricated homes are also being set up to give families privacy to live with individuals.

She further said that after your stay in the relief camp and go back to your villages, the state government will build your permanent homes while adding that this is purely the initiative of the central government and it will completely support, financially to build your permanent homes.

The visiting team along with the state chief secretary, DC Kangpokpi, and SP Kangpokpi also inspected the prefabricated houses constructed at Keithelmambi Military Colony in Champhai Sub Division of Kangpokpi District before visiting a relief camp at DIET Centre Leikop.