Sonia Gandhi Appealed on threat of displacement of Naga river village in Manipur
- All India Christian Council -

Imphal, July 2, 2011

Sonia Gandhi Appealed on threat of displacement of Naga river village in Manipur
Civil Society Report Submitted to National Commission for Minority, Scheduled Tribe Commission

National Integration Council member and Secretary General of All India Christian Council, Dr. John Dayal appeals Indian National Congress President Mrs Sonia Gandhi to intervene Manipur government's threat of displacement to Naga river village to build 5 Star Hotel at Imphal. Civil Society fact-finding team visited the village on July 27 and the report is submitted to Sonia Gandhi, National Commission for Minority and Scheduled Tribe Commission.

Naga river village is 100 years old with a population of 500 in 32 houses consists of all major religions including Hindus, Muslims and Christians who are in a majority. Ethnically, they represent as wide a diversity including Meiteis, Nepalese and various tribes of Nagas and Kukis. There are three churches, one temple and several graves.

All India Christian Council welcomes Manipur Government's desire to have 5 Star Hotel at Imphal and it is a must needed in the state, especially with view of ongoing 'Look East' projects. 'However, the present 4.5 acres of land occupied by Imphal Hotel is more than enough and much larger compare with many 5 Star hotels built in different part of country,' say Dr. John Dayal.

'We have found the hidden agenda of Manipur Government's plan to convert Imphal Hotel into 5-star category. According to notification by Under Secretary Tourism to Director Tourism dated June 9, 2011, it is very clear the intension of government is to acquire Naga river village to make way out for 5 Star Hotel and lease out to some wealthy individual,' says Dr. John Dayal.

The state government has given step motherly treatment to Christian minorities in Manipur. Meitei and Rongmei Christians have been facing all forms of harassment from fellow citizens and the state has failed to provide safeguard to the communities.

'Manipur Government's plan to destroy three churches in Naga river village in making of 5 Star hotel is a living example of how the Manipur Government has treated the interest of the Christian minority in the state,' says Madhu Chandra ' Public Relation Officer of All India Christian Council and Spokesperson of North East Support Centre and Helpline.

A church at Kangla Fort at Imphal existed when Assam Rifle vacated in 2004. Christian communities of the state repeatedly appealed the state government to protect and preserve it but failed to preserve the church. 'Kangla Fort is the symbol of Manipur and it will give a symbolic of integration of diversity if the church was preserved and protected,' says Madhu Chandra.

Recalling Mrs. Sonia Gandhi's intervention to Tarun Gogoi Government's decision to acquire Guwahati Mission compound for city parking in 2007, Dr. John Dayal appeals Mrs. Gandhi to intervene Shree Okram Ibobi Singh government's threat of displacement to Naga river village in making way for 5 Star Hotel.

The All India Christian Council (www.christiancouncil.in), birthed in 1998, exists to protect and serve the Christian community, minorities, and the oppressed castes. The aicc is a coalition of thousands of Indian denominations, organizations, and lay leaders. Several aicc member organisations partner with the Dalit Freedom Network which has chapters in several countries and is focused on making slavery history by ending Dalit trafficking in India.

Sincerely,

Angam Haokip
Media In-charge

Dr. John Dayal
Member, National Integration Council

Government of India

Secretary General, All India Christian Council
Imm. Past National President, All India Catholic Union
505 Link Apartments, 18 IP Extn. Delhi 1100092 INDIA
Email: [email protected];

2nd July 2011

Mrs Sonia Gandhi
President, Indian National Congress
Chair, NAC, New Delhi

Respected Mrs. Gandhi

Greetings

I am enclosing herewith an urgent report of a Fact Finding Team, which responded to a cry from the People of Naga River in Imphal who fear they may be forcibly displaced to make way for a five star hotel in the capital of Manipur. Three churches also face threat of imminent demolition. The people are being harassed by the police and officials. The report is self explanatory.

Manipur continues to be a sensitive state. If such actions are not stopped, the situation may aggravate. The situation is further complicated because of a political fight between the Chief Minister and his own cabinet colleague who is the MLA from the affected area.

I earnestly appeal to you to intervene with the Chief Minster and have this mass demolition stopped.

Thank you and God bless.

John Dayal

Encl:

Fact Finding Report on Threat of displacement at Naga River village, Imphal, Manipur

Copies to:
His Excellency, Shree Gurbachan Jagat, Governor of Manipur
Hon'ble Shree Okram Ibobi Singh, Chief Minister of Manipur
Dr. H. T. Sangliana, Vice-Chairman, National Commission for Minorities
Smt. Urmila Singh, Chairperson, National Commission for Scheduled Tribes

Report of fact-finding team on threat of displacement of Naga river village [Kabo Leikai], Imphal ' Manipur Government attempts to acquire land for 5 star hotel under PPP.

1. The team led by Dr John Dayal, Member of the National Integration Council, Government of India, and Secretary General of the All India Christian Council, Rev Madhu Chandra of the North East Centre and Helpline, New Delhi, Manipur State Minorities Commission member and Ms Anam Pamei, Social Activist. In the village well-known Manipur social activist Advocate Babloo Loitongbam joined them. Rev Prim Vaiphei, President, All Manipur Christian Organisation was also present. The team was in Manipur from 25 to 28 June 2011.

Imphal, 27 June 2011

Background:

Manipur is now open to international tourism. The decades long 'Prohibited Area Permit' which kept foreigners out of the sensitive North-East States of India, has been diluted. Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh is keen the exploit the natural tourism potential of Manipur, now well connected by air from most metropolitan cities via Guwahati. The fact-finding team gathered from industry sources that It was a visit of State tourism minister T N Haokip. Minister to the inauguration of Imphal's solitary new three star hotel and his talk with the owner, a pathologist-cum-businessman, set a chain of events in process. This has rapidly metamorphosed into a monstrous undeclared policy that now threatens to make over 500 men, women and children internally displaced persons. It also spells doom for three Christian churches, a temple and a few graves of the ancestors of the place called Naga River, a 100 year old village Kabo Leikai some distance behind Hotel Imphal, the landmark government of Imphal.

The villagers' nightmare started when the Tourism minister casually asked the three Star hotel owner if his company could modernise Hotel Imphal, a government property. This we have from hotel sources. Without a formal government resolution to back it, this for unexplained reasons developed into a fully-fledged plan to create a five star hotel on the government land on which the public-sector Hotel Imphal stands. More land is slated to be acquired from nearby government offices and by demolishing the Churches and houses along Naga River across the road behind the hotel.

Hotel Imphal has earned notoriety as a rat-infested dilapidated public sector hostelry run by government employees and many part time staff who are not trained in the hospitality sector. There is no doubt that this hotel needs renovation and modernisation. In fact, an expensive renovation was ordered, but suddenly stopped as the focus shifted to an absolute reconstruction' still with no Cabinet decision, it is said. Several offices of Enquiry commissions set up by the government a long time in the past, occupy the first floor. The only good thing about the hotel is its garden with some lovely trees, and its location, right on the national highway bang in the centre of the city.

The fact finding team, consisting of human rights national activists and their colleagues in Manipur, investigated the situation in response to a painful cry from the residents, who represent most of the tribes and religions of Manipur ' but dominated by Naga and Kuki tribes professing the Christian faith, who fear they will soon be rendered homeless. They are afraid they will be transported to the hinterland where they would have no jobs, no schools, and no means of livelihood.

It was apparent to the fact-finding committee that in their haste, the government had not only thrown the rules and the systems to the winds, they had learnt nothing from the experience of states that have faced a crisis over acquisition of land for commercial purposes. And in an effort to pre-empt an escalation of the agitation of the people, the government is now threatening to declare them trespassers and cheats who allegedly bought fake 'patta' or land registration certificates and therefore are not even eligible to compensation. Soon after the fact-finding team left the village, the Vigilance department sent officials asking the villagers to submit their land 'patta' to the government for investigation and verification.

Aggravating the situation is the Chief Minister's political wrangling with factions opposed to him, and who are now supporting the agitation of the villagers.

Imphal has a recent backdrop of other demolitions and planned demolitions in Imphal. In Lamphel in Imphal West 14 houses were demolished at 12 hours notice. The expansion of Imphal airport poses an imminent threat to 114 families Ningobam on the east side of the runway for which notices were served on 31 March. This project faces a Public Interest Litigation in the high court. A case actually in court pertains to the Lei Ingkhol capital project. It is surprising that the Master plan for development has not yet been published.

There is also a stink of communalism as the demolition of churches is on the cards. Imphal area in recent years has seen increasing complaints of the targeting of local Christians, some of whom are first generation converts.

The Fact finding team visited Naga River, spoke to the village elders and to the local activists. It also spoke with the chairman and member of the State commission for Minorities. It also reviewed existing documentation relating to the 100-year-old habitation where the villagers were given their 'pattas' of ownership about twenty years ago. These pattas, they now fear, will be seized by the government as the chief minister is bent upon declaring the documents fake. A perusal of the documents speaks of the inexplicable haste of the government, disregarding rules of procedures and all pretence of due process.

The sequence of government orders and actions speaks for itself of the government's malafides:

17th December 2010 Vide notification number 4/35/LA/2010/Com (rev) Manipur governor issues order under Section 4 (1) of Land Acquisition Act of 1894 that the area actions described in the schedule is likely to be needed for a public purpose i.e. construction of 5 Star hotel in Hotel Imphal premises and surrounding the area at 25(A) Kabo Leikai Nongpok village in Imphal east district.

20th May 2011: Governor issues notification under section 7 of Land Acquisition act

2nd June 2011 Executive engineers PWD Imphal east orders villagers to show pattas in assessment. Villagers refuse entry to government staff.

4th June 2011: Committee formed under chairmanship of chief secretary to 'assess the value of assets and to frame the principle on which the assets and management of the Hotel Imphal to be leased out to private party on PPP model.

9th June 2011: Under Secretary Tourism writes to Director Tourism informing him of the setting up of the assessment committee.

20th June 2011: Assessment of village done under heavy police presence

20 June 2011 ' Minister for Industry Yumkham Erabot Singh joins protest at Naga River. All Manipur Christian Organisation

21st June 2011: Hotel staff and land assessment done.

25th June 2011: Chief Minister Ibobi reported in media proposing alternate resettlement site in Mantripukhri in Imphal or near Don Bosco outside municipal limits.

Conclusions:

1. The Government of Manipur has learnt no lessons from the evolving situation in various parts of the country from Orissa, Bengal, Maharashtra to Delhi, Noida and Haryana on issues of land acquisition. Many governments are now agreed that they will not interfere as procurers of land meant for the private or joint sector and will let the entrepreneurs to negotiate directly with the landowners and residents.

2. From the narrative of events it is clear that the government has been in undue haste in the entire process of acquiring land, issuing notifications even before assessment of the hotel's needs were available. This gives credence to the apprehensions of the villagers that there are malafides in the government's intentions and the entire exercise may be just for the benefit of some unknown rich and politically powerful persons.

3. The village with a population of 500 in 32 houses consists of all major religions including Hindus, Muslims and Christians who are in a majority. Ethnically, they represent as wide a diversity including Meitis, Nepalese and various tribes of Nagas and Kukis. There are three churches, one temple and several graves. Demolition of the churches and graves will be desecration and will violate the freedom of faith guaranteed under the constitution.

4. Villagers are extremely apprehensive. One of their fears is that the tension in the areas and the heavy and oppressive police presence, the imposition of Section 144 are steps which may in future become a communal and ethnic issue with outsiders becoming involved.

5. The villagers are firm that they do not want to leave the village, both for sentimental reasons and for economic reasons, including employment.

6. The land of the village is very expensive, and those who acquire it will make huge profits. The villagers fear the authorities may forcibly confiscate their pattas to rob them of their legal rights on the land.

Recommendations:

1. Chief Minister Mr O Ibobi must call the villagers for face-to-face discussions to respond to their apprehensions.

2. Section 144 must be revoked immediately and there must be no effort to obstruct free movement of the citizens.

3. There is sufficient land in the hotel and in the nearby government properties to suit even really huge luxury hotels. It may once again be stressed that modern luxury hotels throughout the world --- including those in New Delhi are in less land than currently under Hotel Imphal.

4. PPP models must not be for benefit of a few. In future, effected people must be given an opportunity to be a part of the PPP with guarantees of profit sharing, employment and other befits that may accrue.

5. Livelihood, security, and community life must not be disrupted.

6. Prima facie, there does not seem to be any need to acquire the village land to make a luxury hotel. Hotel Imphal expansion and upgrading can be fruitfully done on existing land under its ownership.

Main persons who gave testimony by before the Fact-finding Team:

1. Pastor R K Paudel Burman, Gurkha Baptist Church
2. Pastor N K Tamang, Asssitant Pastor, Gurkha Baprist Church
3. N Shimmay Phunghok, Irong Fellowship Church
4. Kumjakishore Golmei, Chairman, Village authority, Naga River colony Kabow Leikai