NGT order on Manipur project cheers villagers
Source: The Sangai Express / TNN
Guwahati, December 08 2017:
After a protracted legal battle, villagers affected by the Thoubal Multipurpose project in Manipur’s Ukhrul district, tasted victory on Wednesday after the National Green Tribunal (NGT) ordered the State Government to ensure the Forest Rights Act (FRA) 2006 is complied with .
The east zone bench of NGT in Kolkata in a judgement on Wednesday categorically said all efforts should be made to bring the action taken thus far in the execution of the project in accordance with the provisions of the Act.
The judgement said State respondents should ensure that the gram sabha of the area or its equivalent is consulted as required under the Act .
The tribunal also directed the entire exercise of compliance be completed within three months.
The judgement came in connection with the review petition filed by the affected villagers.
The latest judgement is significant because the NGT in 2016 had dismissed an appeal filed by the affected villagers against forest clearance granted to the project, popularly known as Mapithel dam.
The clearance was granted in 2014 .
The project did not get the clearance until 2014 even though construction was on since the 1980s.It was given Stage-I clearance on condition that it complies with FRA.
Forest clearance is needed as 595 hectare of forest area has been diverted for the project .
When the UPA Government was in power, the Union Ministry of Tribal Affairs and the Manipur Government had argued that land had already been acquired and the villagers had been compensated and so there was no question of non-compliance with FRA .
However, the affected villagers got a shot in their arm during the NDA rule when the Union Ministry of Tribal Affairs submitted a strong affidavit in the review petition saying it is incorrect to believe that FRA is a “dead issue”.In the latest judgement, the NGT said it “erred” in concluding (in 2016) that the issue of FRA was a “dead issue” .