After pact signed, picketing of DC office suspended
Source: Chronicle News Service
Kangpokpi, September 14 2021:
After almost 10 days of picketing the office of deputy commissioner, Kangpokpi and barring the IAS officer from attending his office, the protesters finally suspended their stir on Tuesday.
It may be recalled that the unresolved National Highway expansion issue in Kangpokpi district landed the Kangpokpi deputy commissioner in trouble as the demonstrators locked his office on September 6 and demanded his immediate transfer after a scuffle occurred at Charhajare when the IAS officer allegedly conducted a survey for the highway expansion with excessive force.
Since then, the enraged protesters had been picketing the office of DC Kangpokpi and barring the DC from entering his office till Tuesday before reaching an agreement.
It was only after an agreement was reached between the two parties that the protesters cleared the road and opened the office of DC Kangpokpi allowing the IAS officer to attend his office.
According to Kangpokpi District Chiefs Joint Coordinating Committee on Land Matters, a series of meetings were held during the agitation with the government and an agreement was finally arrived at on Tuesday.
It was agreed in-principle that the earlier 3A Gazette notification, which had wrongly categorized several privately Owned lands as government land, was null and void and therefore by default should stand cancelled.
It was also agreed that deputy commissioner Kangpokpi should initiate the process as per the chief minister's direction by cancelling the previous 3A Gazette notification followed by re-issuance of a Gazette order by the joint survey taken up by his office along with the affected landowners' association between July 9 to 27, 2020, at the earliest to expedite the much-awaited national project for the benefit of all.
It stated that, the agreement reached in principle on September 8, 2021, with the state chief minister over the vexed land acquisition issue has negated the previous notifications including the 3A gazette notification while it was agreed in the meeting that the compensation for the landowners will be based on the joint survey conducted by the office of DC Kangpokpi and affected landowners association and subsequent notification on July 3, 2020.It further said that it was based on the July 3notifica-tion and survey conducted that a Gazette notification was issued for the stretch between Taphou-Kuki to Changoubung in Kangpokpi district for the road expan sion and fair compensation had been paid off, adding that the same may be applied to areas between Gamgiphai to Kalapahar as all these areas fall within the same district.
In case the deputy commissioner fails to translate the agreement into reality, the suspended picketing of his office will be revoked immediately and more intense agitation will be initiated, it added.
The leaders of the Co-ordinating Committee opened the sealed gate of the DC's office in the presence of various other stakeholders and CSOs leaders.