In an effort to eliminate the concept of "buffer zone and jurisdiction" circulating among the public, the security forces in the area under their control will commence a drive to remove all private or individual bunkers starting from Wednesday.
This decision was announced by Chief Minister N Biren Singh during a press conference held at his secretariat in Imphal on Monday evening.
The initiative was considered during a meeting of the Inter-Agency Unified Command, which was chaired by the chief minister himself.
Biren informed that the bunker removal drive will be led by the Army with the combined forces of the state and the central government joining in the operation.
ALSO READ: Manipur Violence: Four farmhouses, car set ablaze
He provided further details on the concrete decisions taken during the meeting. One significant step was the removal of security escorts from many VIPs, which involved approximately 2,000 Indian Reserve Battalion (IRB) and Manipur Rifles (MR) personnel.
He said, these IRB and MR personnel will now be deployed to guard farmers in both hill and valley regions while they conduct agriculture in the peripheral and vulnerable zones.
They will be in addition to the existing security forces already stationed in the vulnerable areas and furthermore, security personnel will also be deployed in the hilltops of these vulnerable areas to enhance security measures, he added.
To address concerns regarding the reported movement of miscreants on roads in both the valley and hills, Biren announced the implementation of "mass frisking" from Wednesday.
This will supplement the ongoing combing operations conducted in jungle areas, he said.
Additionally, the meeting discussed the ground rules of the SoO agreement, he said, adding that a meeting of the Monitoring Cell will be convened soon to take strong action against those who violate the ground rules after proper verification.
ALSO READ: More arms recovered during search operations in violence-hit Manipur
The chief minister also made an announcement regarding the reopening of schools from Classes 1 to 8, scheduled for July 5.
As for classes 9 to 12, the matter will be discussed once the displaced families are shifted to prefabricated houses, he said, adding the education minister has already held a meeting with six student bodies to address this issue.
Biren maintained, in order to address the grievances and relief requirements of the displaced people, a toll-free number, "18003090931" has been provided for the public to directly contact for assistance.
Reaffirming the state government's commitment to protect the integrity of Manipur at any cost, the chief minister said "the government aims to uphold the public's trust and work towards the welfare of Manipur's citizens".
While urging all residents to refrain from violence, rumours, and provocative statements by CSOs, he further appealed to those in possession of looted arms to surrender them promptly to avoid legal consequences.
The press briefing was also attended by cabinet ministers and MLAs including from NPP and NPF.
