Manipur Chief Minister Okram Ibobi, who also holds the Home portfolio, has promised that the government will do everything possible to give protection to migrant workers, businessmen, government and private sector employees in the State.
He was reacting to a quit notice served by the banned Revolutionary People's Front to non-Manipuris who settled in the State after 1949. They are asked to leave Manipur by May 31. However, those who came temporarily for education, cultural activities and sports have been exempted.
The terrified migrant workers have taken the Chief Minister's announcement with a pinch of salt. For, in the last 30 years despite the killing of many migrant workers nothing was done to protect them. All that the government did was to issue an advisory to them to rush to Imphal and stay together in relief camps. There were allegations that the government did not provide even food and water to the inmates and that some social workers arranged the same.
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According to the latest census, about 7,00,000 people are non-locals in the State. Some of them have been there for generations. These people are scattered and because of their nature of work they cannot come in and around Imphal.
Earlier, the targets were the daily migrant workers.