Moreh, September 26 2010: Uneasy calm prevails at the remote Kwatha village under Chandel district as two neighbouring villages are claiming ownership right over a large agricultural land.

Appealing to the general public, NGOs and Government of Manipur to intervene immediately and resolve the issue, Kwatha village elders claimed to a group of newspersons that the disputed land lies within the boundary of Kwatha village.

The disputed site which the Kwatha villagers call Khebungching is being referred by the adjacent Leibi Maring villagers as Huikap Ching, the village elders explained.

Talking to the mediapersons in the presence of Kwatha village authority chief Ningthoujam Kaman Singh, and secretaries Takhellambam Nando Singh and Kshetrimayum Yaima Singh, chairman Angom Amu Singh recounted that elders of three villages under Leibi Maring village approached kwatha Village Authority on january 3, 1998 with the proposal to allow them utilise some part of Khebungching for cultivation.

The Leibi Maring village elders' team comprising of Kh Modar Maring of Langkhongching, M Moda Maring of Satang, and Moshipha Maring and K angdou Maring of Leibi village made the proposal in a letter head of Leibi Village Authority with the appeal that the three villages with over 100 household have no agricultural land.

Contrary to the Kwatha village Authority, with the consent of the locals, endorsing the proposal villagers of the three Maring villages not only referred Khebungching as Huikapching but also began to lay claim to the said land, Amu maintained.

It is also informed that elders of Kwatha village, where Meiteis are settled, took the matter to the Court of Additional Sessions Judge, Imphal West resulting in the Court restricting entry of Leibi Maring villagers into Khebungching.

The case was transferred to the Fast Track Court of Additional District Judge in 1994 for early disposal but resulted in another order whereby those (villages) involved in the dispute were cautioned against any activity that could aggravate the situation.

Upto 2009 both the parties were prohibited from either felling trees and carrying out agricultural activities.

Consequently, a court decree was issued with regard to constituting a commission towards early resolution of the dispute based on which Kwatha villagers collected a sum of Rs 90,000 as deposit money.

Even after the court directed Chandel district authorities including the then Deputy Commissioner, SP and Moreh Police station OC to undertake boundary demarcation exercise there is no visible action being initiated till date, informed the village authority chairman who also opined that such indifferent attitude of the district administration might have emboldened Leibi Maring villagers to claim ownership of the agricultural land.

The tense situation continues as another approach to the High Court is yet to evoke any development on the matter.

In addition to handing over a copy each of the proposal made through the letter head of Leibi Village Authority to the mediapersons, the Kwatha Village Authority functionaries also narrated a detailed account of boundary demarcation between Kwatha and Leibi Maring villages by the then Manipur State Durbar in 1923-24 .

They also reiterated appeal to the State authorities and NGOs to facilitate early solution of the issue as prolonging the matter might strain age-old relationships between the neighbouring villages.

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