UKHRUL: The Lunghar Village Authority has questioned the role of the concerned MLA, Ram Muivah, in the Shirui Heritage Project, warning that the project is on the “brink of disaster.” It has also sought the Chief Minister’s urgent intervention to save the project.
In a letter, the Lunghar Village Authority (VA) said its only concern is the timely implementation and successful completion of the developmental project covering three villages: Shirui, Jorcheng (Lunghar Village), and Bakshi Ground (Hungpung).
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Reiterating its full cooperation as a beneficiary village, the VA said that, as per the DRDA Office, Ukhrul, M/S Nongmaithem Enterprises, represented by Vaorei Awungshi, was technically disqualified during the tender evaluation process for allegedly submitting fraudulent documents, including a claimed completed work titled “Construction of District Court at Senapati.”
“This disqualification of bidders/firms and the award of the work order were approved by the High Tender Committee, authenticated by the Hon’ble Chief Minister, and not by the DC/ED of DRDA alone,” the VA stated. It added that the foundation stone for the project was laid on 17 April 2026 at Shirui Village in the presence of the Chief Minister, local MLA, Deputy Chief Minister, Tourism Minister, and several other MLAs. The villagers have urged the Chief Minister of Manipur to intervene to save the project.
The VA further reported that N. Raju Singh, proprietor of M/S Nongmaithem Enterprises, wrote to the DC/ED, DRDA, denying that he had authorized any person to represent his firm in legal proceedings and demanding strict legal action against Vaorei Awungshi for misrepresentation.
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According to the VA, “Mr. Vaorei Awungshi, representing M/S Nongmaithem Enterprises as its power of attorney holder, initiated multiple litigations before the High Court of Manipur challenging the awarded work order and seeking its cancellation and a fresh tender. This was supported by Hon’ble MLA Ram Muivah through DO letter D.O. Guv/UkV63/24 submitted to the Hon’ble Governor of Manipur on 16 January 2026 and DO letter D.O. CM/UkI53/109 submitted to the Hon’ble Chief Minister of Manipur on 11 February 2026, despite full knowledge that the project under SASCI has a target that will lapse by the end of the financial year as per its utilization schedule.” The VA said the High Court of Manipur later notified the DC/ED, DRDA, on 22 May that the case listed for 22 May 2026 had been dismissed and withdrawn.
The villagers appealed to the public, concerned departments, stakeholders, and the concerned MLA to help facilitate progress, monitor work quality, and ensure timely completion of the project. “These repetitive, malicious court cases and RTI applications must stop, as they are aimed at creating procedural bottlenecks, cancelling public tenders, and freezing developmental funds for vested interests,” the VA said.
They also alleged that Philip Awungshi Soso falsely described the headman of Lunghar Village as a sub-contractor of Bhartia Infra Projects Limited and requested an investigation into the allegation. The VA said Mr. Awungshi Philip Soso filed RTI No. 17/DC/DPC/DRDA-UkI/RTI/2020 on 20 March 2026 on the tender process, which was replied to by the department and disposed of as satisfactory on 11 May 2026 by Joint Secretary (RD & PR) Sunanda Thokchom. Nonetheless, on 29 May 2026, he filed another RTI with RR No. 453, which is still under process. Separately, Mr. Kaphungshang Vashim of Shangshak Khunou Village (Unit President of NPF Shangshak Khunou) filed an RTI on 27 March 2026, bearing RR No. 424, for which the requested documents have been provided.
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“The RTI Act is meant to promote transparency, but here it is being weaponized to fuel court cases and derail the project. Repeated litigation, RTI proceedings, and related actions are causing delays that threaten a project of immense public importance. Continuous RTIs are being used to harass executing agencies, engineering wings, and contractors, creating a hostile environment that stalls physical progress on the ground,” the VA said.
The Village Authority said that all technical and contractual issues relating to the tender process should be handled by the competent government departments in line with the law and with proper justification. However, it added that it will not tolerate persistent, malicious attempts to malign and derail the project, which it believes will be a major tourism milestone for Ukhrul District once completed.
