Imphal, September 05: In an apparent reprieve for the people of Malom and Tulihal areas, Chief Minister O Ibobi has assured the JAC Against the Land Acquisition for Expansion of Tulihal Airport that the expansion plan will be reviewed by an expert committee.

The Chief Minister gave the assurance during a meeting held at his office with members of the JAC today.

Briefing newsmen after the meeting with the Chief Minister JAC president K Nilachandra said that when the Chief Minister was asked about the terms and conditions under which the expert committee will review the plan, Education Minister L Jayentakumar on behalf of the Chief Minister said that necessary details would be given through the local MLA to the JAC.

The local MLA RK Anand of Naoriya Pakhanglakpa AC also participated in the meeting.

To discuss the assurance of the Chief Minister and the new development a meeting has been convened by the Joint Committee of the JAC and other civil society organisations on Sunday.

If the Government delays in constituting the said expert review committee, then the JAC would go ahead with its agitation, said Nilachandra.

"This was made clear to the CM during the meeting," he added.

The Government had on August 23 published a notification for the process of land acquisition for the expansion of the airport under Section 4 and 5 of the Land Acquisition Act.

A one month's time was given to lodge complaints, if any.

To protest the notification issued by the Government the JAC started blocking Tiddim line and Mayai Lambi from August 24 .

Seven persons were picked up by the police for protesting against the decision of the Government.

This prompted the local MLA RK Anand to get into the act and he along with the JAC managed to free the seven arrested persons after meeting the Transport Minister.

Since the Chief Minister was in Delhi at that time it was agreed that the JAC would talk to him after he returns and today's meeting meeting was held as agreed earlier.

During the meeting the JAC also submitted a memorandum to the Chief Minister.

The JAC president further said that the people living along the airport area have been suffering a lot due to the continuous expansion of the airport.

From the 1940s, cultivable lands have been acquired, he said and recalled that farm lands and fishing ponds were taken over for the airport expansion in 1950, 1966, 1970 ad 1991 .

The Government has now decided to acquire an additional area of 690 acres of land for airport expansion, said Nilachandra.

On top of this large tracts of land are being occupied by the Army, CPWD while a large number of Government offices have been built in the areas.

To put across his point more forcefully, Nilachandra said that 80 pc of the 24 lakhs population of the State which has an area of only 22,327 square kilometres are farmers.

Out of the total area of land, the land fit for cultivation is only 80,30,000 hectares and on top of this out of the total cultivable land, 50,00,000 hectares have been submerged by the Loktak Lake.

Citing the examples of Sikkim and Mizoram, the JAC president that the airports in these two States are built atop hills and they are being developed.

At Guwahati airport there is only one international flight in a week.

The expert review committee should take all these facts into consideration while reviewing the plan to expand the airport.

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