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APPENDIX II

LETTER DATED 29.6.1947 BY SOME DARBAR MEMBERS LED BY SRI PRIYA BRATA SINGH, SENIOR DARBAR MEMBER TO MR. GP. STEWART, POLITICAL AGENT, MANIPUR

Dear Mr. Stewart,
On behalf of the Manipuri Members of the Darbar J forward herewith a letter we have address to His excellency the Governor on the future arrangements for the State. We will be grateful if you will kindly hand it to His Excellency.

Yours sincerely,
Priya Prata Singh
Senior Darbar Member

To,
GP. Stewart,
Esqr. I.C.S. Political Agent in Manipur.

Your Excellency,

We the Manipuri Members of the State Darbar feel that the time has come when we should bring to Your Excellency's notice our views on the position of Manipur after the corning of the imminent constitutional changes. We hope that we shall have your Excellency's sympathy and assistance in arriving at arrangements which will enable the state to progress peacefully in collaboration with the neighbouring areas at present in British India.

State Representative in the Constituent Assembly: With the grant of Dominion Status and the transfer of power in August next it is now certain that Peramountcy will lapse. For the state this will necessitate choosing between arriving at agreements with the Indian Union and the Government of Assam on the one hand or of maintaining a status of allofhess, by declaring independence. We have after much consideration come to the conclusion that the second alternative is impracticable and it is our wish that the State should fortwith declare that we join the Constituent Assembly and that steps are being taken to appoint a representative with advisors from the State who mush representa both the His and the Valley interests.

The State has been particularly anxious that it should have a representative of its own and should not share on with the Tripura State which in reality has no affinity either with Manipur or with Assam. We hope that Your Excellency will give your support to this requests, but should it not prove possible of attainment, we, not being desirous of holding up the progress of Constitution Making will have to agree to attaching suitable advisers to Mr. Guha from the Hill and Valley of Manipur, against our will and wish.

Future relation with Assam and Indian Union: Apart from any negotiations which may take place in the Committees or the Constituent Assembly it is clear that the State must forthwith consider its future relations with Assam and that arrangements shaft now be made which will enable the State to continue to obtain the facilities which it has hitherto been allowed to through the good offices of H.E. the Governor, Manipur geographically and politically occupies and strategic position amid the Assam tribal areas and in our view peace and tranquility in Manipur are essential to the orderly progress of the Assam Hills. We, therefore feel that their must be the closest relationship on a reciprocal basis between Manipur and Assam and the Indian Union. Such agreements should, in our view, cover the points enumerated below.

Defence,

(a) Lying as the State does on a main route to Burma we consider that suitable arrangements for the defence of the State from external aggression are of the first importance. For the past years the states has been dependent on outside help in this regard and It is hoped that by joining the Union this help will be forthcoming in the immediate future. With regard to internal security also we have had the benefit of the Assam Rifles. We still wish that this arrangment be continued for mutual benefit.

Communication

(b) The future of the Mao-Tamu Road is also of the greatest importance to the state. We hope that as a member of the Union it will be possible for the Union to maintain this road as a National Highway upto Moreh on the Burma Border. Should it be required the State will be prepared to give a contribution to the cost of maintenance in proportion to the state Resources. The State wishes to reserve the right of controlling this stretch of National Highway

(c) We hope that it will be possible for the Union Government to retain at Imphal the present Post and Telagraph facilities and presume that in consequence of joining the Union there will be no difficulty in arranging this. We also hope that the facilities which have up to the present been given in the supply of controlled commodities will be continued unaltered.

Trade & Commerce:

(d) The Durbar is particularly concerned over the future arrangements for the disposal of the surplus of its agricultural and industrial products. We should wish to be given an assurance that no discriminatory measures will be taken against the State in its disposal of the said surplus outside Manipur. Extradition, Coinage etc.

(e) The Darbar finally hope that it will be possible to continue the arrangements regarding such matters as extradition, Currency, and exemption from provisional Taxation on goods passing through the province in transit.

Laison Officer:

Should it be possible for your Excellency to meet our wishes on the above points it will clearly be desirable that for some time to come either the Union or the Assam Government should maintain some officer at Imphal who could act as a Laison officer in these matters. We wish that there shall be the absolute minium of interferance in the internal affairs of the State. The Laison officer will only act in the matter of internal affairs at the request of the state. If this is done, it may, we hope, be possible to continue the Treasury at Imphal and give the state the facilities they at present enjoy. In cases of grave constitutional crisis the State may be allowed to refer the matter direct to the Union Government for final adjudication.

Return of British Reserve and Cantonment area:

While we realise that the closest collaboration with Assam will be desirable we again wish to emphasise that the State must enjoy the greatest degree of independence compatible with such collaboration. We hope that very early steps will be taken to return to the State the area known as the British Reserve. In this connection all facilities required by the Laison Officer will be given and at any rate for the time being the Assam Rifles could continue to occupy the Cantonment area if those waste lands which they do not require area returned to the State. We also hope that in recognition of a greater independence the State may forthwith be permitted to register and licence Motor vehicles and the issue of Arms Licences.

So far as normal administration is concerned we believe that the introduction of the new Rules of Administration will go far to make the administration free from the detailed control which has been exercised in the past. We now urge that the new Acconts Rules shall be sanctioned forthwith to give the State a large degree of financial indepdence.

Interim Council:

As your excellency is aware a committee has submitted a draft constitution for the State and a Hill Regulation for governing administration in Hills. In our view it will be unwise to introduce these new measures with too great haste and they will require very serious consideration. In the meanwhile it is, however, in our view essential that an interim council should be formed without any delay which will allow of representation both of the Hill peoples and the non-officials of the valley on the lines of the new administration rules.

It should be the particular responsibility of this interim council to negotiate the necessary agreements with the Union and also to press ahead with arrangements for the introduction of the new constitution to enable this to be inaugurated within a period of one year.

Kabaw valley:

By the existing treaty with the British Crown Manipur State receive an annual compensation for the Kabaw valley amounting to Rupees six thousand seven hundred and fifty. We wish to know who will pay this compensation after August the 15th?

Compensation:

We should like to request Your Excellency to do everything possible to ensure the very urgent settlement of payments of compensation for houses destroyed during the war. Unless an early settlement be made we apprehend that those people who are mainly waiting for the compensation to start their life anew, might become desperate and create a situation endangering, public peace and and tranquility. It would greatly settle people's minds if Your Excellency could give an assurance that payment will be made without much further delay.

We lay this before Your Excellency in full confidence that we shall have Your Excellency's full support and assistance during the difficult months ahead.

We are Your Excellency,
Your most obedient servants
1. PriyaBrata Singh
2. S. Singh
3. WC. Singh
4. (? Ullah)
5. S. Nodaichand Singh

To
His Excellency,
Sir Akbar Hydri, K.C.S.I., K.C.I.E., ICS. Governor of Assam

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