Is Mizoram planning to shift its capital from Aizawl? Government responds

Aizawl: The Mizoram government on Monday dismissed allegations that it is planning to shift the state capital from Aizawl to Thenzawl, attributing the confusion to a clerical error in official correspondence.

In a statement, the ruling Zoram People's Movement (ZPM) clarified that a letter sent by the central government to the state administration mistakenly mentioned Thenzawl as the capital. The government said the error has led to “unfounded speculation.”

Thenzawl, a census town located around 93 kilometres from Aizawl, falls under the Serchhip constituency, which Chief Minister Lalduhoma has represented since 2018.

The clarification comes after the opposition Mizo National Front (MNF) on August 1 accused Lalduhoma of “secretly” planning to relocate the capital and seeking central funding for the project. The government has strongly denied the claim.

On April 24, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs sent letters to the Mizoram chief secretary and resident commissioner in Delhi under the subject 'shifting of state capital from Aizawl to Thenzawl', asking them to prepare a Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the matter.

The state Urban Development and Poverty Alleviation department, in a statement, clarified that there was a "clerical error" in the letter sent to the state government by the Centre, which was mistaken for shifting the state capital from Aizawl to Thenzawl.

The letter from the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs concerned the sanctioning of ₹10 crore for preparing a Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the proposed "Thenzawl Peace City" project, the department said in a statement.

Chief Minister Lalduhoma had earlier, on April 4, announced plans to develop Thenzawl and surrounding areas into a ‘peace city’ capable of housing around one million people. However, the government reiterated that the initiative was not connected to any attempt to shift the capital from Aizawl.

Lalduhoma had said that he was optimistic about getting financial help from the Centre for the project, as he had earlier discussed the plan with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The CM had also said he discussed the plan with the 16th Finance Commission, and the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs approved Rs 10 crore to develop a master plan for the project. PTI