Land acquisition for Sports University: Imp-Moreh road bandh called
Source: Hueiyen News Service

Imphal, November 04 2014: Protesting against the Manipur Government's plan to set up the proposed Sports University at Yaithibi Loukon in Thoubal district, the 44-Yaithibi Loukon Land Owners' Association has called for a 48-hour bandh along the Imphal-Moreh road section of National Highway-2 beginning 6 pm tomorrow, Wednesday.

Meanwhile, the 44-Yaithibi Loukon Land Owners' Association shot off a memorandum to Prime Minister today against the alleged wrongful acquisition of land measuring about 642 acre by the Manipur Government for establishing the proposed Sports University at Yaithibi Loukon, urging him to intervene in the land acquisition process.

Despite repeated request the Manipur Government has made preparations to lay the foundation stone for construction of the proposed Sports University at Yaithibi Loukon and hence the 44-Yaithibi Loukon Land Owners' Association has been compelled to call the earlier announced 48-hour NH-2 blockade beginning 6 pm of November 5, association president Md Alimuddin said at a press meet.

He said the Protection of Agricultural Land & Natural Resources Organisation is supporting the association in enforcing the strike.

In the memorandum to the Prime Minister, the association said lives of nearly 3,500 people of five villages under Yaithibi Loukon will be seriously affected if the sports varsity is set up in the area.

It named the five villages as Koijam, Sora, Langthabal, Yaithibi Khunnou and Laiching Minou.

The main occupation of the people of these villages is agriculture and they have been paying regular land tax to the Government, the memorandum to Narendra Modi said.

It alleged that the state Government has started survey of the area for the planned sports varsity without the knowledge and consent of the villagers of Yaithibi Loukon, adding the Government did not follow the provisions of the Right to Fair Compensation & Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation & Resettlement Act, 2013 and its Rules.

The memorandum further alleged that the Manipur Government also violated the provisions of Scheduled Tribes & Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006 while acquisitioning the land for construction of the sports varsity.

It said that the Right to Fair Compensation & Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation & Resettlement Act, 2013 provides that whenever the appropriate Government intends to acquire land for a public purpose, it shall consult the Panchayat, Municipality and the villagerr in the affected areas and carry out the social impact assessment study and the notification for commencement of consultation shall be made available in the local language to the Panchayai Raj, Municipality or the villagers or even uploaded on the websites provided that the Government shall ensure representation of grassroots level and also to ensure the completion of social impact assessment within a period of six months, which the Manipur Government has miserably failed to do so.

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