“Kyamgei Leihao Phaba Lamni’ (Kyamgei has got a rich soil).

This sentence was learnt to take to heart when we were in the second standard in our school days. It was meant not only to acquaint the beginner the cluster of Manipuri phoneme ‘K’ and ‘J’ in the word ‘Kyamgei’ but also to carry to our mind that the place ‘Kyamgei’ is a fertile land for agricultural purpose.

Now after many long years, this sentence is again being written not to acquaint with difficult cluster of Manipuri word but it is being written in anguish, sorrow, despondency and at the same time with a sense of pettiness at the folly of those men in power for their short slightness.

Kyamgei keeps turning up in the news these days. Protests continue to rage over the procedure of acquiring land for the purpose of setting up of an NIT complex on the very fertile agricultural land. In order to safeguard the agricultural land and to keep it intact the protesters even touched the feet of the police officers and begged to spare their lands.

What a pathetic sight? What a cruel paradox of our times? Farmers in one corner of our country commit suicide owing to decline in income from the agriculture and here on our side, farmers are in protest to protect their land and their occupation.

Kyamgei, about 8 km from Imphal in the south-east of Imphal in the Imphal-Moreh road (NH39) was a village some 20/25 years back. But today, due to the expansion of the Imphal city, Kyamgei is no more a village now.

Above this, setting up of Manipur University at Canchipur in the western side of NH-39 just opposite to Kyamgei, the area is fast becoming a sub-urban with many facilities specially being an abode of learning.

At the same time vast areas of field which was once used for agricultural and allied purpose are becoming smaller and smaller due to the construction in the name of factories and institutions.

The proposed site for NIT Complex is in the eastern side of NH-39 just near the Canchipur college. It has an area of about 350 acres. The estimated required area of the NIT is about 600 acres and the area of ‘Kyamgei Loukon is not sufficient for setting up of an NIT there. Besides, all the plots of agricultural land here belong to the first class or ‘Phorel Loupham’ which yields atleast 30 bags (Phoupot) of paddy in an annual harvest.

Apart from normal cultivation of paddy during rainy season, this area produces a variety of vegetable products to help to meet the daily demands in the markets of Manipur. So it will not be a wise decision to set up of an NIT here on the fertile soil of Kyamgei at the cost of the stomach of the entire people of Manipur.

Recently in a similar case of acquisition of land, the West Bengal Chief Minister Budhadeb Bhattacharjee had to withdraw his decision to acquire land for setting up of SEZ (special economic zone) in Nandigram.

Haldia and Nandigram in East Midnapur District, where Indonesia’s Salim Group plans to set up SEZ and chemical hubs had witnessed violent protest from the Bhumi Ucched Pratirodh Committee against the acquisition of land for the project. 14 protesters were killed on March 14 last.

Following the violence at Nandigram and Sporadic incidents since then the West Bengal Chief Minister has no option but to declare that the Chemical hub and the SEZ would not be set up at Nandigram if the people were not willing and were opposed to the project. It shows clearly that only industries demanded by the locals should be allowed to come up if it is to be at the cost of their own land.

Manipur has an area of about 22,323 sq. km. Out of which about 1/10 of its area in the valley is most favourable for agriculture and 9/10 of its area in the hills is not suitable for agricultural and allied activities. At the same time more than 80 percent of the population both in the valley and hills of Manipur are directly or indirectly engaged in agriculture for their livelihood and economic growth of the state.

On the other hand, there is apprehension of gradual shrinking of actual agricultural area due to urbanisation and industrialization.

So the issue of preservation of Agricultural land is now no longer an issue of ‘Kyamgei Loukon’ and setting up of an NIT there. It becomes an issue for all, that agricultural land should be preserved and protect at all cost for future generation of Mani-pur. As the agricultural lands continue to die a gradual death, it is high time for the state administration to wake up and undertake concrete and speedy steps to save the cultivable lands in the entire length and breadth of Manipur.

What is the need for the Govt to start, or to set up an NIT at this fertile land of ‘Kyamgei’? What is the haste in site selection? All will support having an NIT complex in Manipur. We, the Manipuris also have to cope with the fast changing world. But at the same time we should not forget to preserve our agricultural land.

The regret is that the Government of the past had set bad precedent by encroaching many agricultural land in the name of development in wetlands like Lamphelpat, Porompat and Loktak Pat. The present Government is still continuing this habit. The articles of people’s faith and object of their reverences are being weakened one by one.

The growing discontent, sense of frustration and lack of confidence in the Government have provoked the people to launch agitations to get their points heard and achieved.

Having an NIT complex is good and important. But if it is to be built it should be on the unused or waste land not on the agricultural land. It should be build on the foundation of confidence not on the foundation of protest.

The Government has taken a right step but lands on a wrong place.