Asian Highway affected landowners warn of launching stir
Source: Chronicle News Service

Kangpokpi, June 17 2021: Asian Highway Land Affected Villages Chairmen/ Chiefs' Association (Gamgiphai to Taphou Kuki) together with all affected landowners have decided to resort to various intense forms of agitation if the government fails to revoke and rectify all the land acquisition orders at the earliest.

The decision was taken in an emergency meeting held Wednesday at Kangpokpi community hall.

Speaking to media persons in this regard, Association secretary Semson Kipgen described as regrettable to witness undesirable situation over the proposed widening of National Highway 2 along the stretch between chainage No.277+400 and 294+100 (Gamgiphai to Kalapahar) as initiated by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.

Despite all possible efforts being made and the same placed before the authorities concerned time and again, the district administration and revenue department taking due advantage of procedural errors/lapse on land demarcation and registration by the government has been exercising their power by issuing orders and notifications, snubbing the real landowners, the secretary said.

He continued that the state government and revenue department disregard the memorandum signed between the association of the affected landowners and DC/LA of Kangpokpi district on January 4, 2021 and the subsequent representations submitted by various civil societies and stakeholders within Kangpokpi district for justified implementation.

Semson contended that the authority concerned overruled all the objections submitted under the sub-section (1) of section 3A and 3D of the National Highways Act, 1956 (48 of 1956), by the rightful landowners' association and asserted that the association insists on its demand for revocation and rectification of all the said land acquisition orders.

The secretary questioned intention of the government over its reference to land survey records of 1975-1989 when all the chiefs and stakeholders have their legal documents prior to the said records and that too, without the consent or knowledge of the rightful landowners (chiefs).

"Such worn-out land records of 1975-89 cannot be accepted in any case of implementing any developmental projects within the said stretch of land", he added.

Semson also questioned the joint land survey carried out by DC Imphal West and DC/LA Kangpokpi when the same was kept in abeyance while issuing subsequent land acquisition order (3A and 3D under NH Act, 1956) by the government.

"Isn't this total disregard to the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation, and Resettlement Act, 2013 (Land Acquisition Act, 2013)", he asked.

The secretary further questioned the intention of the government over the manner it has treated landowners of the same district differently (the stretch of land from Changoubung, T Khullen village to Taphou-Kuki as unsurveyed land, while the stretch from Kangpokpi to Gamgiphai is not treated as the same) and asked whether there can be different law of land acquisition and administration for the same district.

Therefore, considering all such intentions of the government the association of all affected and rightful landowners and stakeholders ultimately decided to launch intense agitations if the government fails to address the issue at the earliest and the government shall be held responsible for any untoward eventualities arising out of the agitation, he added.

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