‘Clerical Error Caused Confusion’: Mizoram Government Rejects Claim of Capital Shift to Thenzawl
The Mizoram government on Monday dismissed allegations that it is attempting to move the state capital from Aizawl to Thenzawl in Serchhip district, clarifying that the misunderstanding was the result of a clerical error in an official communication.
In a public statement, the Zoram People’s Movement (ZPM) government clarified that an error in a letter from the Central government to the state administration mistakenly gave the impression that Thenzawl was being designated the new capital. The government emphasized that there are no such plans to relocate the capital from Aizawl.
Thenzawl, a small census town located about 93 kilometres from Aizawl, is part of the Serchhip constituency. This is the same constituency that elected current Chief Minister Lalduhoma in both the 2018 and 2023 Assembly elections.
On August 1, the opposition Mizo National Front (MNF) accused Chief Minister Lalduhoma of allegedly trying to “secretly” shift the capital and of requesting Central funds to implement the move. The Urban Development and Poverty Alleviation Department, however, clarified that the confusion stemmed from a clerical mistake in the Centre’s letter and there is no proposal to change the capital.
Earlier, on April 4, CM Lalduhoma had shared plans to develop Thenzawl and its surrounding areas into a ‘peace city’ capable of accommodating around 10 lakh people. He mentioned that he had already discussed the proposal with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and was hopeful of securing financial support from the Centre for the initiative.
The government reiterated that while development projects are planned for Thenzawl, they are not related to changing the status of the state capital.
