UCM meet adopts Land Act resolution
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, August 26 2011:
The two-day session organised by United Committee Manipur (UCM) to deliberate on public grievances as a consequence of the ongoing road blockade and its remedial measures ended at MDU Hall tonight with the adoption of resolutions related to district demarcation and MLR and LR Act.
The session was attended by representatives of various organisations and community leaders.
After minutely deliberating on a number of issues confronting the State, the session resolved that a high level District Re-organisation Committee, Manipur should be constituted to ensure administrative convenience.
Members of the Committee are to be drawn from the Government, representatives of civil society organisations and intellectuals and its primary point of attention would be the hill areas.
A report is to be submitted before the public within two months time.
The other resolutions included extension of Manipur Land Revenue and Land Reform Acts to the hill areas of the State for effective governance.
Noting the grave impact of economic blockades on the people as well as the potential to sow seeds of distrust amongst the different communities of Manipur, it was resolved to ask the Government to take up legal action such acts in the future as well as to appeal to all to desist from such course of agitation.
The session also agreed to hand over the responsibility of translating the resolutions into action to the UCM.
Earlier, former UCM president K Lanngamba comparing the trouble-prone National Highways connecting Manipur to other parts of the country with that of the peaceful route in Mizoram, wryly remarked that the ongoing agitation by both the Sadar Hills Districthood Demand Committee and United Naga Council has provided a golden opportunity for various communities to come together and communicate with one another.
Appreciating concerted efforts by different organisations to sustain the age-old fraternal bonds amongst the indigenous people, he opined that declaration of a new district at this juncture is very remote in view of the ensuing Assembly elections.
Expecting the Government to take a definite action with regard to demand for creation of new districts only after the completion of the election process, he suggested that reorganisation of the nine district is inevitable to satisfy all concerned even though there might be opposition on the issue from certain quarters.
In his address, All Manipur Working Journalists' Union president A Mobi predicted that even though the current impasse is amicably resolved the National Highways will remain as the bargaining plank for different organisations.
Nupi Samaj general secretary Th Ramani suggested that demand for creation of new districts should have the consensus all of the indigenous people and made a fervent appeal to the agitating bodies to call off the road blockade agitation.
Meanwhile, citing alleged inefficiency on the part of the Govt of Manipur for the perilous situation being endured by the people, NIPCO secretary K Sunil called upon both the SHDDC and UNC to exercise restraint and withdraw their respective agitation calls for it is the common people who are most affected.