Rail line runs into compensation bump
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, June 06 2011:
Several village authorities have decided to halt the track laying work of the Jiribam-Tupul railway line from June 13 in case the concerned authorities failed to give away the pending compensation to Langkhong village which has been severely affected by the railway project.
Speaking to media persons in the office chamber of the Vice-Chairman of Hill Areas Committee, Manipur Legislative Assembly, Langkhong Village Authority chairman R Dinglin said that villagers of Langkhong have been facing severe difficulties as their village is the worst affected by the railway project among the five villages.
Following acquisition of land for the railway project, 29 families of Langkhong village have been rendered homeless.
As the rail track is being laid just about 200 metres above NH-53 which passes by Langkhong village, large areas of agricultural fields have been covered with earth which have slid down due to cutting the hill slopes, Dinglin said.
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Besides rendering many houses inhabitable, the villagers have been facing acute shortage of water.
Even as assessment of loss incurred by the villagers such as destruction of standing crops, acquisition of paddy fields, household plots etc was completed two years back, due compensation has not been distributed till date, the village authority chairman decried.
With the district administration not paying attention to the woes of the villagers, the village authority has decided to stop railway construction work from June 13 if the due compensation is not released to the affected villagers by June 12, Dinglin said.