KSO unit states stand on K Songjang issue
Source: Chronicle News Service
Imphal, March 24 2023:
Kuki Students' Organisation (KSO), Churachandpur district has asserted that K Songjang village is a hamlet of Kungpi Naosen, a recognised village under Henglep sub-division, Churachandpur district with well-defined boundary.
According to a statement of KSO Churachandpur, Kungpi Naosen was granted recognition as a village well before the constitution of Churachandpur Khoupum Protected Forest on September 17, 1966 which was also in violation of Section 29/3 of the Indian Forest Act, 1927 .
Claiming possession of sufficient supporting documents, the students' body said that Kungpi Naosen village was recognised by the Manipur Gazette Extraordinary published on August 16, 1957 by the then chief commissioner.
The Gazette published by the authority on September 22, 2009 based on the notification of secretariat hills department dated September 11, 2009 also mentioned Kungpi Naosen as one of the constituent villages of Churachandpur Autonomous District Council under Leimatak DCC of Henglep sub-division with 217 electors.
Producing Hill House Tax counterfoil (Sl No 3726) of the year 2019-2021, KSO said Kungpi Naosen has a total of 37 households with Thengkhogin as headman and paid a total of Rs 1665 as house tax at the rate of Rs 15 per house on May 10, 2021 .
It also said that the original boundary of the scheduled village as signed by SDO SW BC Casper on September 16, 1926 mentioned Chikhukdung village lying on the north of Kungpi Naosen, Lengpanglok on the south, Laimaton Chingyang on the east and Leimatak on the north.
According to the KSO unit, the demarcation of Churachandpur Khoupum Protected Forest within the scheduled hill area of Churachandpur district itself was arbitrary and illegal land acquisition by the Government of Manipur as the same falls under the purview of Hill Areas Committee (HAC) .
Since the scheduled hill area is the subject matter of the administration of the HAC, the matter should be deliberated by the HAC comprising elected tribal MLAs before any decision was taken by the state government, the KSO said.
While claiming that establishment of K Songjang village was within the scheduled boundary of Kungpi Naosen and not within the Churachandpur Khoupum Protected Forest, it also reiterated that the Protected Forest was purely an encroachment of the scheduled hill areas and violation of Indian Forest Act, 1927 .