The Art of Being Governed

Manipur Hill Areas were reorganized in the year 1919 and the whole of the hill areas was divided into three administrative units. Songpi was made the south-west Sub-Divisional Headquarters, the others headquarters being at Ukhrul and Tamenglong. In 1921, Mr B.C. Gasper, the SDO of Songpi threw a feast in honour of the France returnees who were conscripted as Labour Corps in the First World War where the Maharaja of Manipur, Sir Churachand Singh also took part in the feast. On that occasion, Songpi was renamed as ‘Churachandpur’ after the name of Maharaja Churachand.

Songpi was abandoned as a Sub-Divisional Headquarter through a Darbar Resolution No 2A of 29th January 1930 and approved to lease to the North East India General Mission (NEIGM) with a yearly fee of Rs 600. Later on 26th September 1930, after the verbal agreement between Pu Semthong Haokip, the chief of Songpi and Mr H.H Coleman who represented NEIGM, the chief agreed to transfer the land and all the rights he had to the mission. Accordingly the NEIGM made payment to the village chief for the land and called Mission Compound and not Churachandpur. However, some people still refer to it as Old Churachandpur.

Ten years after the abolition of Churachandpur, there was a need to re-established the Sub-divisional office. So Major F.F Pearson and Pu Thangkhopao Kipgen came for site selection for the SDO's Office. They went to see the old site at Churachandpur (Songpi), but found abandoned structures left behind by the American troops after World War II. Considering the poor condition of the old site Churachandpur, Lamka seemed a better location for the SDO headquarter. Therefore, the Circle Office was housed at the present residence of the Deputy Commissioner in Lamka. However, the new SDO headquarter at Lamka was imposed with the old name of Churachandpur, which was already given to Songpi.