44th Raising Day of PREPAK : Outfit's chairman lays down points for people to study-II
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, October 09 2021: Today, many have allowed themselves to fall into the trap of election under the pretext of doing something purposeful for the people, alleged the outfit and added that it is not an easy task to bring back such people on the right path.

The so-called leaders who had fought elections and held power since 1972 lack ideas and vision on how to maintain and protect their own land, further obseved the outfit and added that it is because they are driven by their own narrow and personal pursuit.

Saving the people from the election is now an an essential task, said PREPAK and added that elements who have something to gain from this exercise are fooling everyone by throwing money and making the youths hooked to narcotics in the election.

Electoral poison has been spewed even on religious and traditional activities.

Freedom, coexistence, thoughts of united struggle and sacrifice have been thrown away and issues of candidates, election, money, narcotics, etc have become the most important talks of the exploited people, alleged the outfit further.

If a State exists, there ought to be some concrete policies for development and it is necessary for a free Nation to have an appropriate policy on soil conservation so as to get good yield.

However, there is no answer when asked what significant achievement had been made in the State since 1949.Power, water, roads and bridges, Government appointments, monthly salaries, etc are not significant achievements.

These are essential matters administration must provide for.

The so-called significant developments in the State may be cited as construction of brick farms, stone crushing factories and farm houses of the affluent people in the fields that produce paddy, where orgies are held regularly, alleged PREPAK.

Land is equally essential in building a Nation and taking up developmental works.

But there is no concrete policy for use of the exceptionally fertile land.

Leader of the masses, Hijam Irabot launched an intense movement for ushering in change in land use but it was not successful.

All cultivable land of Kangleipak lies in the hands of the Ministers, MLAs, top officials of Government, illegal traders and smugglers.

Most farmers do not have their own land to cultivate; they depend on others' land for agriculture.

Real owners have constructed infrastructure in the fertile fields in the name of development in such a manner that no production can be made ever again from the fields.

Despite legislation having been passed, such constructions cannot be stopped, said the outfit further.

Most of the paddy field owners are the ones who can influence the law makers.

The Land Revenue and Land Reforms Act, 1960 and Article 371C of Constitution of India stand as a big fence between the hills and the valley.

This creates a hurdle in building unity and strength between the hills and the valley, said PREPAK.

This has caused loss of the unique identity of the indigenous communities raising the question how long the Kanglei people would be able to survive preserving their own identity.

It's not possible for a State to advance without development.

One must carefully look at what is the hidden aggression by Hindustan (India) into the political, social and economic health, alleged the outfit.

Kangleipak is basically an agrarian land.

Economy of the land is based on agricultural products.

Looking at the history of the economy of this land, since the early days till the period of independence, the agricultural products of Kangleipak used to be not only sufficient for its people but also used to be exported to the neighboring countries.

But since the Loktak Project was commissioned in 1983, the Ithai Barrage water submerged 83,450 hectares of paddy fields compelling the people of Kangleipak to depend on others for food.

This has not only severely affected economy of the land but also gave adverse impact on the social and political conditions leaving unity and integrity of the State in a chaotic situation.

The Loktak Project is nothing but only loss for Kangleipak.

The revenue collected from the sale of electricity generated by the Project before 2014 was just Rs 21 crore annually whereas the amount of income that could be collected from the agricultural produce of the vast land that had been submerged by the Project is nearly Rs 100 crore, alleged the outfit further.

This is an act of being "penny wise, pound foolish." Now it is very clear that Loktak Project has been set up to destroy the economy of Kangleipak, alleged the outfit and questioned how the so-called leaders�elected representatives of the State granted permission for taking up the Project without properly discussing the consequences in advance.

The only purpose of the Project was to turn people into beggars, alleged PREPAK and added that unable to bear any longer the pains in terms of economy and environment caused by the artificial inundation caused by the Ithai Barrage, the people of the affected areas have been demanding for a long time in a democratic manner to decommission the Project.

But Hindustan has been suppressing the people's legitimate demand.

Unless and until the people take the issue ahead at the earliest, people's economic and ethnic identity will be lost.

The most precious objective of the people is to keep the erstwhile sense of patriotism intact.

People used to survive only on the products available on the soil of the land.

Once people used to keep their eyes on the fields as they lived on the crops grown in the fields, but now since all the means to survive had been wiped out, attention has been drawn toward the commodities being brought in on the highways.

Arrival of the train and development of the highways is not at all for the benefit of the people.

It is just to create facility for draining out the products available underground, over ground and forests in the State to Hindustan, alleged the outfit.

All the development works being taken up are meant for their own benefits.

The most important factors necessary in making a free Nation are people and land.

Without land, people cannot exist.

Israel is the right example.

Without knowing my own and others' land, just learning by rote a thick book on the theories that had brought big changes in the world will not achieve the goal.

The number of indigenous population, who should be spearheading and making bigger sacrifices in every major issue, is drastically declining, argued PREPAK.

Comment