Songpi, July 31, 2026: The Manipur government has ordered the time-bound implementation of its 2022 decision to re-amalgamate Thanlon Sub-Division from Pherzawl district to Churachandpur district, directing all concerned departments to complete the process within seven days.
In a communication issued on July 29, 2026 by Secretary (Land Resources) Th. Kirankumar, administrative secretaries, heads of departments and the deputy commissioners of Churachandpur and Pherzawl were instructed to immediately enforce the January 6, 2022 notification. All departments having offices, jurisdiction or establishments in Thanlon have been asked to submit compliance and action taken reports to the Land Resources Department.
Thanlon was brought under Pherzawl district when the district was carved out of Churachandpur through an order dated December 8, 2016. The government later reversed the arrangement in principle through its January 2022 order, directing that the sub-division be restored to Churachandpur district.
The fresh push comes after renewed representations from civil society organisations based in Churachandpur seeking enforcement of the 2022 order. On March 5 this year, the Chiefs’ Association of the area had announced a boycott of the Pherzawl district administration, stating that the continued listing of Thanlon Sub-Division, Thanlon Police Station and 56-Thanlon (ST) Assembly Constituency under Pherzawl was contrary to the government’s own notification.
The demand for restoration has been raised consistently since 2016 by groups arguing that administrative and political interests of the Thanlon population are better served under Churachandpur.
The proposal has also drawn opposition from within the sub-division. In 2021, residents representing 22 villages, accounting for nearly 47 per cent of villages in the sub-division, submitted objections under the banner of the Pherzawl District Development Committee, seeking to remain with Pherzawl on grounds of administrative convenience and cultural affinity.
The state government had earlier invited public objections to the re-amalgamation proposal till December 17, 2021, with an indication that the move would require support from at least 75 per cent of villages. The latest directive signals a renewed administrative move to operationalise the 2022 order despite the divided public opinion.
