Imphal, Oct 16 : The Kuki-Zo tribal community in Manipur remained firm for a separate administration like the Union Territory with a Legislative Assembly exclusively for the tribals similar to the Union Territory of Puducherry.

Tribal leaders said on Wednesday that two Ministers and two MLAs belonging to the Kuki-Zo tribal community during a meeting with the officials of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) told the Center that a separate administration like that of Union Territory with a legislative assembly for the Kuki-Zo community is a prerequisite for any peace dialogue.

“We want a Puducherry model of Union Territory in Manipur for the Kuki-Zo tribal community. We have been demanding for a separate administration for the tribals since the ethnic crisis began in May last year,” a Kuki MLA, who attended Tuesday's Delhi meeting, told IANS.

A senior official of the Manipur government while talking on condition of anonymity told IANS that the MHA officials in Tuesday’s meeting were “aversed on the separate administration demand of the Kuki-Zo Ministers and MLAs”.

Union and the state governments have on a number of occasions earlier also rejected the demand for separate administrations or a Union Territory.

17 months after the ethnic violence erupted in Manipur, the MHA held the first meeting with all three major communities -- Meitei, Kuki, and Naga -- in a bid to find a way to a peaceful solution to the protracted unrest.

The non-tribal Meiteis account for around 53 per cent of Manipur’s around 3.2 million population and live mostly in the valley regions comprising 6/7 districts while the tribal Nagas and Kukis constitute another 40 per cent of the population and reside in the hill districts, which cover around 90 per cent of the geographical areas of Manipur.

The Valley region has a total of 40 non-tribal Meitei MLAs, while the hills have 19 MLAs divided between the Naga and the Kuki-Zo tribes and one seat reserved for the Scheduled Caste community.

Jiribam district, a largely plain area adjoining southern Assam beyond the hills, is inhabited by both tribals and non-tribals.

After the crucial Tuesday meeting, an official statement said that a group of elected members of the Manipur Assembly, representing Kuki-Zo-Hmar, Meitei and Naga communities, met in New Delhi on Tuesday to discuss the current scenario in the state.

“The meeting unanimously resolved to appeal to the people of the state belonging to all communities to shun the path of violence so that no more precious lives of innocent citizens are lost,” the statement said.