Fishers plead for rehab package
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, November 25 2011: Fishing families who have been evicted from their phumdi houses of Loktak Lake have pleaded to the Government to provide them a rehabilitation package.

Speaking to media persons at Wangoi Khongban beside Loktak Lake today, the villagers said that they have been living around and relying on Loktak Lake since time immemorial.

However, with the construction of Ithai Barrage, their ancestral lands were inundated and the villagers were forced to build houses over phumdis on Loktak Lake.

However, the fishing families have been evicted and their houses burnt down by the Government in the name of clearing phumdis from Loktak Lake.

They demanded the Government to take up a special rehabilitation programme before they are evicted from their dwelling houses.

Already many fishing families whose houses were burnt down by the Government along with their properties have been taking refuge in different places including Imphal.

Denouncing the Government's initiative of burning down dwelling houses and eviction of fishing families whose sole means of livelihood was fishing in Loktak Lake, the banned Maoists Communist Party, Manipur has called a 24 hour general strike with effect from November 25 midnight.

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