Senapati, August 7: Construction works of Eklavya Model Residential School at Makhan Khuman under Mao-Maram Sub-division in Senapati district have been found to have halted for months due to non-payment of bills. This was disclosed when the implementing agencies were asked why the construction works were at rest.
It may be noted that EMRS was first initiated in the year 1997-98 by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Government of India, to impart quality education to ST children in remote areas in order to enable them to avail opportunities in higher and professional educational courses and gain employment in various sectors. The schools focus not only on academic education but also on the all-round development of the students. Providing quality education to Schedule Tribe students has been among the main focuses of the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, as educational development is a stepping stone to economic and social development and is also the most effective instrument for overall empowerment.
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The school construction located at Makhan Khuman under Mao-Maram block was stated to be taken up under the Manipur Tribal Development Corporation (MTDC). Four different work agencies were involved in the construction of the main school building, boys’ hostel, girls’ hostel, and retaining walls beside the school buildings, with the building construction stated to have commenced in 2013. Guidelines under the Ministry of Tribal Affairs instructed the completion of construction works of an Eklavya Model Residential School within three years. However, all construction works have been found halted due to non-payment of pending bills by the Manipur Tribal Development Corporation.
It is said that the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Government of India, had already sanctioned the bill and uploaded it to the MTDC in the second week of June 2025. However, the Tribal Affairs Department, Government of Manipur, has not released the bill to the contractors till date.
It was stated that the implementing contractors have submitted a memorandum to the Deputy Commissioner, Senapati District, Manipur, requesting prompt and just intervention in the matter to uphold the integrity of government works and protect the interests of those sincerely engaged in its execution. Despite being informed that the required bills for work executed had been sanctioned to the agency’s account by the last week of May 2025, the delay, accompanied by vague and inconsistent excuses, is stated to have caused financial stress to the contractors who have already completed substantial portions of the work on the ground in good faith and at their own expense, as well as risking the delay of a vital educational infrastructure meant to serve tribal children.
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Drawing the attention of the concerned authority, the executing contractors have appealed for the release of the pending bills so as to allow the construction works to be completed within the stipulated time.