Not houses but HOMES razed to the ground : Demolition Government
- Sangai Express Editorial :: May 22, 2013 -

Demolition Man. The term sounds awesome, very Hollywoodish. But there is nothing to gloss over a name when it comes to the question of evicting people, while a case is still pending at the Court.

It was not houses that were razed to the ground but HOMES.

Development obviously comes with a price, but there is always something called over pricing and when this price comes in the form of human tears and anguish which are difficult to put to ink, then there arises a serious question on the humaneness of the action taken up by the Government.

A 5 Star Hotel in the heart of Imphal city. Great. No arguments over this. However can the Government absolve itself from ethical conducts while going about with its duties ?

From the accounts given by the affected people, it can be deduced that there was a method, a systematic approach in evicting the residents of Kabo Leikai, to make way for the proposed 5 Star Hotel.

On May 13, 2013, police personnel arrived at the place, armed with the necessary orders and demolished six houses, nay homes. That compensation for the six houses have been paid is another matter.

Again on May 18, 2013, a number of police personnel arrived at the same place and asked the other residents to move out by May 20. Two days was the time given for the marching orders to be followed.

True to the ultimatum served, the police came early in the morning of May 20 and in a couple of hours the other dwelling places were razed to the ground.

Twenty two is the number of houses, according to the residents. Authority comes along with responsibilities.

It is the latter part which the Government seems to have conveniently overlooked while going on the demolition drive lasting two hours.

Giving two days time to move out is not only absurd but betrays the utter lack of sensitivity on the part of the authority concerned. Moving house is not only about packing a bag or two to catch a flight to Delhi or Kolkata.

It is about moving out from a place, which has been their homes for decades. Inhuman is the word that comes to mind. How could the Government overlook something as basic and rudimentary as this ?

A clear reflection of arrogance, there should be no doubt over this. The case predates some years back, everyone knows this.

The Government knows this and so do the people who have been evicted. Add to this the point that the Court has stayed the eviction order of the Government and there is no ground on which the eviction drive of the Government can be justified.

Not legally and certainly not morally. A 5 Star Hotel may fit in with the grander schemes of the Government, like the Look East Policy.

But no policy would stand the test of legitimacy if it tramples upon the dignity and self respect of the people.

And certainly telling residents of a certain area to pack up within 48 hours and then raze their homes to dust in a couple of hours would amount to insulting the self respect of the people who the Government claims to represent.

Let the 5 Star Hotel come up. But at the same time respect the sentiments of the people. Eviction should be about moving a group of people from one site to another, not razing their homes to dust.