Mapithel Dam Imbroglio : Facing the perils of 'arbitrary Governmental move'?
Source: Hueiyen News Service / R Lester Makang
Ukhrul, July 07 2015 :
Cries of despair, anguish and discontent voicing the plights of the hapless inhabitants across the vast expanse of the submergence area are all that countless visitors from all corners of the state would hear ringing in their ears.
In fact, for the hapless inhabitants of contiguous villages like Chadong, Riha, Thoyi, Lamlai and others in Mapithel Dam affected border areas of Southern Ukhrul, their ire has reached its heights as the Government is vicariously watching their miseries arising out of the arbitrary move by the Government without obtaining any prior informed consent of the genuine inhabitants of the area whose homesteads and ancestral lands including paddy fields are now gradually submerged by the ingressing water.
While affected villages like Riha, Thoyi, Lamlai and others have gradually lost a vast tract their ancestral paddy fields and forest lands, Chadong villagers face dire fates of losing both habitations and ancestral lands for good, thanks to construction of the dam.� Majority of Chadong village inhabitants now fear the worst that the only thing that would be left of their lives would be an 'existence in impoverishment' in the aftermath of their whole homesteads and lands going under the ingressing water as the State Government has miserably reneged on its promise and so far failed to provide the genuine affected villagers with Rehabilitation and Resettlement (R&R) package as stipulated by Indian Land Acquisition Act.
Left with little options, the hapless villagers poured out their emotions to a team comprised of Tangkhul Shanao Long (TSL), Tangkhul Katamnao Saklong (TKS) and Ukhrul-based media persons during a recent visit to the dam affected areas.
Talking to media persons, Chadong village chieftain Wungnaoyo Kasar said that there are 250 houses in his village, before adding that until and unless the government provides adequate compensation to all the affected households, the villagers would not leave the village.
"In the event of submerging the whole habitation, we would set up makeshift tents at a higher ground nearby for temporary shelter but there is no way would ever leave our ancestral land until our demands are met by the government," he said.
Attributing the current imbroglio to the irresponsibility of the State Government, the village chief further said that there has to be mutual understanding as per the bilateral agreement between the government and the villagers in 1993 regarding relocation or whatever but the government has betrayed the inhabitants.
He then bemoaned that even as this village is proposing soil testing by Experts Review Committee (ERC) at three viable sites namely, Khishanglairam, Theipodung and Huidunramvaram for relocation of the soon to be displaced villagers, the government has arranged a rehabilitation site at Mahuithuirang hill without consulting the villagers and without testing soil too.
Meanwhile, VA member Shimthar Mahongnao disclosed that certain mischievous persons from his village had withdrawn compensation adding some bogus names, which is against the interest of the village, lamenting that genuine affected households have not been compensated till date despite repeated appraisal.