NEW DELHI, Feb 18: "We propose an Autonomous Hill State" said K Guite, Advisor of the Zomi Revolutionary Organization ( ZRO) and Representative of the United People's Front ( UPF) who arrived here in New Delhi today.

The current SoO extension of the UPF with the State and Centre Government will last till August this year.

Speaking to The Sangai Express, Guite said that UPF had submitted Memoranda and Charter of Demands to the Central Government. Appointment of an interlocutor and initiating a political dialogue is expected to begin soon, he said.

According to the ZRO advisor the proposal for an Autonomous Hill State is a non-communal approach.

Stating that the demand for an Alternative Arrangement for Naga areas and the Kuki Statehood demand are community specific that will further deepen the division among the communities of the hills, Guite said the Autonomous Hill State would not only speed up development in the hills but also bring peace in the hills and Manipur at large.

This administrative re-organization will also maintain the territorial integrity of the State.

"In their demand for a Kuki State, the KNO has violated the SoO preamble," declared Guite. While maintaining that UPF's demand is Constitutional, Guite explained that the proposal for an Autonomous Hill State will not only contain the various communal/tribal discord but also serve as a model solution not only in Manipur Hills but North East at large.

It will also protect National and State territory.

The proposed Hill State will empower the district councils, which is an upliftment of the existing Hill Area Committee.

Source: The Sangai Express / Ninglun Hanghal