Source: Hueiyen News Service
Imphal, July 10 2010:
As many as 52 villages were found overlapping in jurisdiction among the districts of the state in connection with Census 2011 apart from detecting repetition of villages within the same district.
The overlapping of villages was because of dispute in the boundary of the districts in most of the cases, official source said today.
Mention may be made that in order to avoid in the ongoing Census 2011 operation in the state government constituted a high level committee of officers headed by chief secretary examined the lists of the villages as per records maintained by the revenue department and hill department.
The source said that out of 52 villages, a maximum number of 22 villages are found overlapping with Thoubal district and its adjoining districts, 16 villages overlapped were found claimed by both Imphal west and Senapati, 10 villages of Senapati were found having dispute having jurisdiction problems between Churachandpur and Bishnupur district, two villages between Senapati and Imphal east districts while another one more village of Imphal west with Senapati district.
The main reason behind the overlapping of villages is the district boundaries as for instance out of 14 villages remain within the revenue jurisdiction of Imphal west under Lamshang sub-division, 10 were also found included in the Sadar Hills (Kangpokpi) as per Hill house Tax Payment records of the Hill Department.
The 10 villages were Thounamba, Tumnoupokpi, Thumuyon, Kangpokpi, Kangpokpi Bazar, Konsa Khun, Ekpam Khunou, Ekpam Khullen, Tokpa Khun and Keithenmanbi.
Besides this, overlapping of villages within a district also detected.
For example, within the Imphal West district villages located at the foothills along the Langol Hill Ranges are included under revenue village no 91-Meitei Langol and 91(A)-Lamphelpat.Likewise many other villages at the border between two districts were found included in both the villages when compared the lists of the revenue villages of districts and list of the villages paying house taxes to the Hill Departments.
The officer committee headed by the chief secretary was constituted to look into the overlapping of these villages so as to avoid errors in the preparation of Census reports of 2011 .
The committee in a move to avoid overlapping of district jurisdiction in certain villages in the house listing of Census 2011 carrying out in Manipur, had asked the state revenue department to furnish details list of revenue villages and hill house tax paying villages for taking up further necessary action.
Official source said that taking serious note on the detection of overlapping of district jurisdiction over certain villages in connection with the House listing of Census 2010, Cabinet of the SPF government has discussed the matter on June 15 last.
The Cabinet decided to examine list of all revenue villages, district-wise maintained by the state revenue department and by the Hills Department in respect of hill villages including the latest data which was the basis of election to the District Councils in hill areas.
Mention may be made that the House listing survey was conducted from June 1 with a target of completing on July 15 except that of Tamenglong which targeted to complete by August 15.But due to complaints of alleged overlapping in certain areas mostly at the district jurisdictions, the exercise in some areas could not be carried out.
The state had later decided to constitute a high level committee to look into the alleged overlapping.
In order to find out the truth and avoid repetition, the committee led by state chief secretary had called up details from the state revenue department and hill departments, the source disclosed.