Memorandum to the Hon’ble President of India: Information regarding the chronology of Manipur’s administrative districts, divisions and names
Ref. No.: 20241019MoM
Date:19/10/2024
MEMORANDUM
To
The Hon’ble President of India, Smt Droupadi Murmu,
Rashtrapati Bhawan
New Delhi 110004
Subject: Information regarding the chronology of Manipur’s administrative districts, divisions and names is being submitted to correct the inaccurate data provided to the Hon’ble Madam in the memorandum bearing Ref. No. 56/02/WKZIC/(Memo)/2023-24, dated 13th October 2024 submitted by the World Kuki-Zo Intellectual Council.
Hon’ble Madam,
It has come to our attention that the above memorandum contains several factual inaccuracies, including the number of districts that existed in 1972 and the names of the districts listed. We would like to respectfully bring these discrepancies to your kind attention.
During British Protectorate System (1824-1947) few temporary sub-divisions were created from time to time for administrative convenience. This policy of reorganising districts and subdivisions as well as change of names has been continued by the Government of India. The following paragraphs give a brief historical accounts.
1893-1906: Five lams (divisions in Manipuri) were created Mao Lam, Tankhul Lam, Moirang Lam, Kapui Lam. Those were not based on ethnic or tribal lines.
1919: Three Sub-divisions were created:
- The South-West Area with headquarter at Churachandpur, which has been named after His Highness the Maharaja.
- The North-West Area with temporary headquarter at Tamenglong.
- The North-East Area with headquarter at Ukhrul.
A large area in the North of the State, including the Mao and Maram Naga groups, the whole of the Mombi area in the South East, and the various tribes of hillmen bordering the valley continued to be administered direct from Imphal.
1929-1933:
In 1929, the above mentioned three sub-divisions were abolished.
In 1932, Tamenglong Sub-division was created.
In 1933, Sadr and Ukhrul Sub-divisions were created.
After 1949:
The Manipur Administration Order of October 15, 1949 defines Manipur as “the whole of the area, which, immediately before the commencement of this Order, is comprised within the State of Manipur.”
1950: Single District:
| Order | District | Sub-Divisions |
| The Chief Commissioner’s order No 18 of 1950, dated January 18 | 1 district: whole of Manipur | 8-sub divisions: Sadar, Thoubal, Ukhrul, Churachandpur, Tamenglong, Mao, Tengnoupal, and Jiribam |
The Sadar sub-division comprised the whole of the area comprised in Imphal West and East Tahsils, some villages of Thoubal Tahsil, some villages of Mayang Imphal Tahsil, and most of the villages of the Hill Sadar Circle.
1969: Five Districts:
The Chief Commissioner’s order No. 20/39/69-D, dated November 12, 1969, divided Manipur into five districts:
| District | Headquarter |
| Manipur Central District | Imphal |
| Manipur West District | Tamenglong |
| Manipur North District | Karong |
| Manipur South District | Churachandpur |
| Manipur East District | Ukhrul |
1974: Six Districts:
The Governor of Manipur’s Order No 2/44/72-DM(R), dated May 11, 1974, created Tengnoupal district by carving out three sub-divisions of Tengnoupal, Chakpikarong and Chandel from the Central District.
1983: Eight Districts:
The Governor of Manipur’s Order No. 6/1/73-R (Pt. VII), dated May 24, 1983, created Thoubal and Bishenpur districts out of Manipur Central District. The rest of the Manipur Central District was renamed as Imphal District.
1983: Districts renamed:
The Governor of Manipur’s Order No. 174, dated August 5, 1983, renamed the districts as follows:
| Old District Name | New District Name |
| North District | Senapati |
| Bishenpur | Bishnupur |
| Tengnoupal | Chandel |
| Manipur East District | Ukhrul |
| Manipur South District | Churachandpur |
| Manipur West District | Temenglong |
1996: Nine Districts:
The Governor of Manipur’s Order No. 6/1/73-R (VIII), dated August 30, 1996, created Imphal East and West Districts by bifurcating Imphal District.
2016: Sixteen Districts:
The Governor of Manipur’s Order No. 16/20/2015-R, dated December 8, 2016 created the following new districts by bifurcating existing districts as shown below:
| Old District | New Districts |
| Imphal East | Imphal East and Jiribam |
| Senapati | Senapati and Kangpokpi |
| Thoubal | Thoubal and Kakching |
| Chandel | Chandel and Tengnoupal |
| Ukhrul | Ukhrul and Kamjong |
| Churachandpur | Churachandpur and Pherzawl |
| Tamenglong | Tamenglong and Noney |
The above 14 districts plus Imphal West and Bishnupur districts make up the current 16 districts of Manipur.
Remark:
- It should be noted that no sub-divisions were created on community or tribal or ethnic lines but for administrative convenience. It does not give exclusive rights to any tribe or community. Any attempt to identify any district with a community is a misrepresentation.
- No new district was created in 1972 and hence the districts existed were the 5 districts created in 1969. The WKZIC’s portrayal of six districts and existence of Sadar Hills and Tengnoupal districts in 1972 is a blatant lie.
We, therefore, submitted this memorandum to the Hon’ble Madam so that no action is taken based on incorrect data provided by WKZIC.
Sincerely,
Convenor, Meitei Alliance
Copy to:
- Shri. Narendra Modi, Hon’ble Prime Minister
- Shri. Amit Shah, Hon’ble Union Home Minister
- Shri. N. Biren Singh, Hon’ble Chief Minister
- Shri. Lakshman Prasad Acharya, His Excellency, Governor of Manipur
- Shri. Rahul Gandhi, Hon’ble Leader of Opposition