Ukhrul District joined the nation today in celebrating the 77th Republic Day at the Bakshi Ground, Hungpung, Ukhrul.
Marking the 77th Republic Day of India, Deputy Commissioner of Ukhrul, Asish Das (IAS) inspected the contingent, unfurled the National Flag and took Rashtriya Salute at Ukhrul Headquarters. SP of Ukhrul, Babitarani Swain (IPS) took the general salute.
Chongtham Sarjan Singh (MPS), SDPO of Chingai was the parade commander. A total of 24 parade contingents participated in the celebration.
Addressing the gathering, Deputy Commissioner of Ukhrul, Asish Das (IAS) stated that, “Ukhrul has 12 packages of road construction. It is higher than any other districts in the entire Manipur. Still many of the projects were either hamstrung or slow or some of them have failed, and we were facing this bad situation for the past few decades. With the blessings of the honorable Governor, and the active cooperation from the former Chief Secretary and the present Chief Secretary, with the cooperation of NHIDCL, media fraternity, civil society organizations and the district administration’s various departments, we are trying to complete packages one and two from Yaingangpokpi to Finch Corner by March 31 2026. 90 percent progress has been made, and we hope to give 100 percent good road by March 31, 2026. That is going to be a big achievement for Ukhrul. So, out of 85 kilometers from Imphal to Ukhrul, around 70 kilometers will be completed.
“And another good thing happening is package 3 from Finch Corner to Ukhrul has been approved. We are expecting the sanction soon, and we hope to disperse the compensation amount within a span of one month and we will try to make the work start within March. When people come for the Shirui Lily Festival or any other tourist project in Ukhrul, we want to give them the best experience.
“There is a misconception that government officials are all corrupt, inefficient, only thinking about themselves. I just wanted to counter that narrative and I want to disprove it.
“Ukhrul District Hospital has recently conducted its first general surgery. A daily transport service has been started and you can avail the facility of the transport bus under Manipur Transport Corporation, every day except Sundays. The travelling time is also reduced from three hours to two hours and 15 minutes. Maybe by three or four months it will be further reduced to two hours.
“Once the road, the lifeline is improved, we will be able to attract more tourists, more commercial opportunities. And I am foreseeing Ukhrul with a different face, a much more developed face. And if we continue the momentum like this, I hope and I believe it will be achieved in a few years. Perhaps, I can say with all pride, Ukhrul will be the fastest growing, fastest developing district in all the hill districts in Manipur.
“It’s all because when we started something, when we wanted to do something, you all supported, you all stood with us. All the civil society organizations, be it the villagers, be it the public, everyone stood with us.
“Last week, we conducted something which seems impossible. There was a blockade of 800 meters at Litan which was pending for the last 5-6 years. NHIDCL has proposed to leave out that stretch. But with the joint effort of civil society organizations, all the security forces, villages and everyone in Ukhrul, we were able to do the eviction drive, and now Litan has a different face. There could be antagonism, but people will soon understand that it is all for the welfare and good of the district.
“And another milestone we have achieved under the leadership of SP Ukhrul police is that we have two murders in the last one year, and within two weeks the culprits were caught by our district police. And under the leadership of SP, combined with all the security forces, we have destroyed 995 hectares of poppy cultivation all over the district.
“There is a prejudice or narrative going that hills are not capable of big things which we are proving otherwise. Since the inception of the crisis, there has been no festival in Manipur. Ukhrul was chosen as the place to conduct the first festival that was the 5th edition of Shirui Lily Festival in 2025. And everyone thought it would fail. None of us were experienced but with the whole hearted support of you all, we did it wonderfully, successfully without a single complaint.
“Another milestone is the Shirui Heritage Project, at the cost of a whopping 65 crores awarded to DRDA, Ukhrul. That is also being criticized. And you could not even imagine how much pressure I got. But you can believe that someone in Imphal, in the government trusts our capability, in our ability to do big things. It is not just my prestige project, not Ukhrul’s prestige project but it is a prestige project of the entire hill districts. If we did it wonderfully, If we did it without any flop, we can show the world that we are capable, our departments are capable, our people are capable of big things. Based on that, we can demand more. Many other projects are lining up on the pipeline and we are yet to receive them. Once we prove it, once we’ve shown that we are capable, we can ask for more projects. I am pretty sure the government is more than willing to give us projects.
“So with the 12 National Highway packages and with the many more bigger projects that we are having, once they are completed, it will definitely change the bigger face of Ukhrul and it is going to be the most desired district in a few years.
“The other thing which I aspire for is the Autonomous District Council. The 15th Finance Commission funds have arrived. This time we are not allowing any interference in the funds. We will be dispersing the funds to village development councils directly. So, we are taking transparency and empowerment of villages upfront.
“So likewise, I wish and hope we will as a family, we stand together and we progress more.”
During the celebration, certificates of appreciation were awarded to 83 individuals from various departments in recognition for their outstanding services. Prizes and certificates were also presented to the winners from the March Past Competition; with Ukhrul Public School (Girls) as the winner, Little Angel English School (Girls) as the First Runners-Up and two Second Runners- Up from Ukhrul Central School and Kendriya Vidyalaya, Ukhrul.
As part of the program, a special performance was presented beautifully by the Phalee Students captivating the hearts of many. Also, a breathtaking band display was witnessed from the 18th Assam Rifles Band, Somsai. The District Health Society, Ukhrul set up a stall and emergency health services to the people.
