Imphal: The Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) on Friday criticised the state government’s decision to shift the permanent campus of the National Institute of Technology (NIT) Manipur to Kakching, saying the move was unjustified as 341.5 acres of land had already been acquired and cleared for the project in 2014–15.
The criticism came during a press conference held at Congress Bhawan in Imphal and led by former Chief Minister and MPCC president Okram Ibobi Singh. Senior Congress leaders questioned the rationale behind relocating the premier technical institute to another district.
Ibobi Singh said the previous Congress government had allotted around 341.5 acres of land for the permanent NIT campus in 2014–15 after completing all land acquisition formalities and Jamabandi procedures. He said local pattadars (landholders) whose land fell within the project area had been compensated as part of the acquisition process.
He expressed surprise over Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh‘s reported proposal to establish the permanent campus in Kakching district. Referring to the government’s claim that the existing site is prone to chronic waterlogging, Ibobi Singh said the problem was limited to a small area where temporary accommodation barracks had been constructed.
According to him, the temporary structures were built in 2014–15 under the guidance of the then Chairman of the NIT Board of Governors, Y.S. Rajan, as an interim arrangement for about five years until permanent buildings could be constructed on higher ground within the same 341.5-acre campus.
Former Education Minister and former MPCC president Moirangthem Okendro said construction of permanent infrastructure had already begun at the original site. He questioned the decision to abandon the project without any formal review or assessment of the ongoing construction.
Okendro also criticised the current administration, alleging that it had failed to make meaningful progress on the permanent NIT campus over the past decade. He claimed the proposal to relocate the institute reflected administrative failure rather than practical necessity.
Maintaining that shifting the campus was unnecessary, the Congress leadership appealed to the people of Manipur, particularly student organisations and other stakeholders, to examine the historical background of the project, scrutinise the government’s reasons for the proposed relocation and participate in public discussions before any final decision is taken.
The press conference was attended by All India Congress Committee (AICC) CWC member Gaikhangam, former ministers Kh Ratankumar and Kh Loken Singh, former Speaker Thokchom Lokeshwar Singh, former Working President Devbrata Khumanthem, MPCC Working President Victor Keishing, MPCC Vice Presidents Tilotama Loitongbam and Hareshwar Goswami, along with other PCC members and office-bearers.