Locals vow not to part with land
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, September 13 2017:
Sekmai Protection Committee and Awang Sekmai Scheduled Caste Development Committee organised a sit in protest at Sekmai bazar along with the leaders of various CSOs and different communities today to oppose handing over any land of Awang Sekmai and its surrounding areas to the army or paramilitary forces .
The protesters also took out a rally and raised various slogans .
Speaking to media persons, president of Sekmai Protection Committee, Angom Rajesh, said that the State Government approached the Local Military Authorities (LMA) at Leimakhong to hand over the old airfield at Koirengei and the old airfield at Kakching back to the State Government .
The LMA responded by asking the State to provide an area measuring around 1800 acres although the two airfields combined measure only around 91.22 acres, he said and pointed out that the area demanded by the LMA covers parts of Awang Sekmai, Khurkhul, Kanto, Kanto Sabal and Keingam .
The LMA further mentioned that the land at Koirengei costs around Rs 80 lakh and the land at Kakching costs Rs 77,70,02,884 (totalling around Rs 78,50,02,884 for both) and as such demanded a land measuring 1800 acres in place of the 91.22 acre which the State Government is seeking .
Rajesh further alleged that the land at Koirengei and Kakching seem to have been calculated at the rate of Rs 200 per square feet but the land at Sekmai and the neighbouring villages seem to have been calculated at only Rs 5 per square feet .
He said that the people will never accept the rate at which the land has been valued and even if the rate climbs to Rs 200 per square feet, the locals will never give any part of the land under any condition as their very livelihood depends on agricultural activities on these lands .
Rajesh said that Sekmai and the neighbouring villages have already given ample land for the expansion of the LMA located at Leimakhong .
Some parts of Sekmai have also been used for the IOC's LPG Bottling plant and the people cannot part with any more land, he added.
The locals taking part in the protest resolved to never give up any land under any circumstances and to launch necessary agitation if the authorities try to go against the wishes of the people.