Imphal East District, an administrative district of Manipur, came into existence on 18th of June, 1997 with its headquarters at Porompat. It is occupying the eastern part of Imphal District. Imphal East District is situated in two separate valleys of the state namely Central Valley and Jiribam Valley. The total area of this district of Manipur is 469.44 sq kilometres approximately. Imphal East District is situated at an altitude 790 metres above the mean sea level. The climate of the district is healthy and monsoon is tropical. Agriculture is the main occupation of the people of Imphal East District. Cane works, Bamboo works and Carpentry are the important household industries among the male people of the district. The artisans in these trades are widely spread over Imphal East District.
Administration of Imphal East District
There are four Revenue Sub-Divisions in Imphal East District namely Porompat Sub-Division; Sawombung Sub-Division; Keirao Bitra Sub-Division and Jiribam Sub-Division. The total number of Revenue Circles under the administrative set-up of the district is nine. There are 237 Revenue villages in the district. The total number of urban local bodies is four comprising of two Municipalities and two Nagar Panchayats. The two municipalities are Imphal Municipal Council and Jiribam Municipal Council whereas the two Nagar Panchayats are Andro Nagar Panchayat and Lamlai Nagar Panchayat. Further, administration of Imphal East District includes three Community Development Blocks namely Imphal East-I Community Development Block, Sawombung; Imphal East-II Community Development Block, Keirao Bitra and Jiribam Community Development Block. It also includes 56 Gram Panchayats. There is a Zilla Parishad in the district comprising of 19 Zilla Parishad members. However, there is no Panchayat Samiti in the administrative set-up of Imphal East District as well as in the other districts of the state.
Tourism in Imphal East District
There are two major tourist attractions in the district one is at Kaina and another at Jiribam. In the district, the natural beauty of Poirou Pat rounded with the small hillock is beyond description. Shree-Shree Govindajee Temple, a beautiful golden temple located in the palace compound is still shining here. The two war cemeteries attract the tourists from different parts of the country. Further, Hanuman Temple is a pre-historical site in the state. Imphal East District is famous for its scenic beauty, enchanting landscape, salubrious climate and rich cultural heritage which has a great potential for development of tourism.
Imphal East District has no rail network and hence communication is entirely dependent on roads except Jiribam sub-division bordering Cachar District of Assam where there is a railhead. This district is connected with National Highway 39, National Highway 53 and National Highway 150.
