AHRC speaks up for Phumdi-dwellers
Source: Hueiyen News Service
Imphal, April 02 2013:
Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has drawn the attention of the Government of India for repealing Manipur Loktak Lake Protection Act of 2006 to end forced evictions of the phumdi dwellers and the abuses being perpetrated by officials of Loktak Development Authority.
In an urgent appeal, AHRC pointed out that since 2010, LDA has forcibly removed and burnt down the phumdi huts of the people from Loktak Lake.
Phumdi dwellers earn their livelihood by fishing and gathering aquatic vegetables from lake.
The Manipur Loktak Lake Protection Act of 2006 was implemented without the free, prior, and informed consent of the people whom are directly impacted by the Act.
Conservators, developers, environmentalists, and other local professionals were not consulted before the implementation of the Act, despite that its' original purpose was to protect, improve, and conserve the natural environment.
Section 20 of the Act stated that no person shall "build any hut or house on phumdis inside the lake" within a designated core area, where many villagers already live.
The Act additionally prohibits athapum fishing.
Thousands of people are directly dependent on the resources from the lake.
The above clause violates the indigenous peoples' rights to housing and a means of livelihood, and therefore hinders their right to life.
In many cases, these people have been using or residing in the huts for generations, and have no other home or ancestral land.