AR issues rebuttal on Moreh land issue
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, June 05 2013: Reacting to a news report published in this daily on June 2, PRO IGAR (S) has clarified that the land was acquired through legal procedures based on legal documents.

The acquired land belonged to one Doujapou Haokip and the village was accorded approval as a full-fledged hill house tax paying village as per gazette notification (May 10, 2002) issued by Commissioner (Hills) LP Golmei, said a PRO IGAR (S) release.

Highlighting that the said land does not form part of Yangoupokpi Lokchao Wildlife Sanctuary and has been classified as 'de-reserved' by SDO, Tengnoupal (Jan 31, 1995), the PRO stated that eviction order served on D Haokip by the Government of Manipur was stayed/suspended by the Gauhati High Court (CR No.603 of 1997) .

It is said that value of the land was evaluated based on market rates given out by Sub Deputy Collector (Moreh) (Sept 26, 2003) and accordingly the same was purchased for Rs 67 lakhs.

Further stating that the sale of land had the approval of Under Secretary (Hills) S Nengzachin and copies of the same sent to PS to Chief Minister of Manipur, Commissioner (Revenue) and Principal Chief Conservator of Forest on August 30, 2005, the release informed that neither the CM Secretariat nor Revenue Department raised no 'no objection' on the matter.

The PRO also expressed that the lawful land acquisition is being projected wrongly through media by persons having vested interests and who are desirous of reselling the same land to some other agency thereby denying the legal rights of the poor tribal villagers of Moreh who have been legally allotted the land after the ethnic clashes of 1991 .

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