TSA apprises Union Home Minister on tribal issues
Source: Hueiyen News Service / Newmai News Network

Imphal, September 16 2014: The Thadou Students Association-General Headquarters (TSA-GHQ) has submitted a lengthy memorandum to Union Home minister Rajnath Singh regarding the issues confronting the Manipur hills.

One of the points in the memorandum said there are 14 higher secondary schools in the hill districts of Manipur which are served by only 17 regular and 259 contractual basis Lecturers.

Whereas, there are 25 higher secondary schools in Manipur valley area, which are served by 434 regular and 455 contract Lecturers.

All the schools and colleges in the Manipur hill areas are in pathetic condition.

Despite B.Ed course being a requisite qualification for teaching profession, no B.Ed study centre has been set-up in the hills.

No power is bifurcate to the separate office of the additional Directorate of Education(S) Hills, the TSA-GHQ memorandum said.

Another point of the TSA-GHQ memorandum is on the State Election Commission Manipur vide order no.12/1/2012-Sec notification of July 27, 2012 that announced the general election to Imphal East, Imphal West, Thoubal and Bishnupur Zilla Parishads and all Gram Panchayat therein 18 hill villages which included in the Gram Panchayat/Zilla Parishad constituencies although they came under the jurisdiction of the present Autonomous District Councils and pay Hill House Tax to the Manipur government through their respective Headman/Chief.

"The villages registered their objection and the matter was asked as starred question no.42, 26-06-2012 in the state Legislative Assembly.

Subsequently the Hill Areas Committee (HAC) on 8th August, 2012 vide Resolution no.26/2012(HAC) unanimously resolved that there shall be no local body election in the Hill Areas of Manipur other than the Autonomous District Council and Village Authority elections.

But the Manipur government blatantly imposed the said election on these Villages.

Meanwhile, Manipur Government formed a five member Expert Committee on 21st Feb., 2012 to monitor an implementation of Manipur (Hill Areas) District Council Act, 1971 and Manipur Village Authority (Hill Areas) Act, 1956 as well as other related rules, and submit a report in this regard within 90 days.

This so called committee is formed without consulting the matter to HAC.

The committee has not been able submit the report till date.

These are the glaring example of defeating the mandatory provision of the constitution by the Manipur Government.

There are many more incidences of such ultra-vires in Manipur," the memorandum stated.

It then alleged that the Manipur Government held the six Autonomous District Councils election, only to save the image of Manipur Government in the eyes of Centre Government.

They do not given their powers which are provision by certain act.

And kept at Imphal (except churachandpur and Sadar Hills) like toothless Tigers, without deploy to their respective districts even after more than 3 years of election in 2010, the TSA added.

The TSA memorandum then alleged that in exercise of the power conferred by Article no.371(C) of the Indian constitution, former President V.V Giri made order by an extraordinary gazette of India at New Delhi on June 20, 1972 with respect of to the state of Manipur and placed development and economic planning within the plan allocation for the Hill Areas along 13 other items under the second schedule of the order within the purview of the Hill Areas Committee (HAC).

However, almost all the development and economic planning within the plan allocation are done without consulting the Hill Areas committee (HAC) the Tribal and Hill Department which have been declared as nodal agencies in reality stay inert and are self-explanatory of the manipulation and centralization of the executive and administrative power by the state.

It will not be farfetched to say that the statutory laws in respect of Hill Areas, i.e Manipur (Hill Areas) District Council Act, 1971, Manipur(Village Authority in Hill Areas) Act, 1956, Manipur State Hill People (Administration) Regulation Act, 1947 are ineffective and thus have become redundant.

It also alleged that the Home Department's notification of June 14, 2011, wherein inclusion of more than 120 villages of Saikul Sub-Division of Sadar Hills/Senapati district including some villages of Ukhrul district and Tamenglong district under the police jurisdiction of Imphal East district and Thoubal district is a clear manifestation of encroaching land in a systematic way.

It is also not surprising that the Land Revenue Record of many villages under Chandel, Ukhrul, Churachandpur, Tamenglong and Senapati Districts are in the custody of their adjacent valley districts.

With the existence of 200 point roster (Manipur Reservation of vacancies in post and service for Schedule Caste and Schedule Tribes), the innocent tribal populace has been losing seats particularly at the time of piecemeal recruitment due to the fact that the initial position of reservation placing Sl.No.1 in 100 roster is now placed in Sl.No.4 in 200 roster, the memorandum added.

On the census issue, the TSA memorandum said as per the latest statistical data reflected in 2011 census report, the roster quota for the tribal should be 38% and not the prevailing 31% that has been in vogue for decades without changing the figures of percentage despite numerical growth of population in the Hills.

Besides, adding fuel to the fire, most of the departments have started inviting application for a piecemeal recruitment in their ulterior motives to manipulate and exploit the rights and privileges of the Tribal.

For instance, Manipur Assembly Secretarial conducted a closed door recruitment of grade IV without issuing recruitment notice.

As per information is concerned, the result of this closed door recruitment was back date to November 21, 2013 and salaries for three months have been released.

Under these circumstances, the provisions of reservation remain unfulfilled through bureaucratic and manipulative deformation by narrow interpretation of the special provision, the memorandum mentioned.

Scheduled Tribes (STs) have historically suffered from an enormous disadvantage and development deficit as compared to the rest of the population.

This was explicitly recognized in the constitution of India, with mandated special protection and provision for STs.

Subsequently, the Government of India initiated the concept of Tribal Sub-Plan (TSP) in fifth Five Years Plan with critical initiative to bridge the development gap between STs and the rest of the population.

Despite the guidelines issued by the Planning Commission for effective implementation of TSP, Government of Manipur had deliberately defied the guidelines.

According to the memorandum, out of the total geographical area of Manipur i.e 22,327 Sq Km, only 8% constitutes the valley inhabited by the dominant Meitei community, whereas more than 90% constitutes Hill Areas which are inhabited by various ethnic tribal groups.

But the major shares of development funds are implemented only in the valley occupied by the dominant race.

For instance, annual budget for the hill and valley is 35/65.Valley portion of the Manipur allotted 40 assembly seats out of the total of 60 seats leaving only the remaining 20 seats for the majority populace in the rural/Hill Areas.

According to the TSA-GHQ memorandum, as Hill Areas (Tribal Areas) would be losing 10 Sq Km of Land besides bifurcation of many tribal villages between India and Myanmar on account of construction of border fencing, we ought to detest vehemently the ongoing border fencing.

With sly political and bureaucratic manipulation of the GoM have been exploiting our natural resources without the knowledge and consent of the community who owns the Land and Resources.

For instance, Manipur Government announced to snatch 3000 acres of Tribal Land at Haolenphai/Chandel without the knowledge and consent of Villagers, in the name of Centre Government's policy of 100 Smart Cities.

Despite provision the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013, it added.

The Thadou Students Association then said the government of Manipur's policies to intrude Tribal Lands by employing State Laws like New Land Use Policy(NLUP), Manipur Land Revenue and Lands Reforms Act (MLR&LR), Village Development Council (VDC), Joint Forest Management Committee (JFMC),etc.

in the name of development has led to destruction of Tribal Land, Customs, Traditions, Cultures and Laws.

Immigration of non-indigenous people in tribal areas and eroding of indigenous livelihood means and suturing tribal exploitation in the lands of the already progressed/prospered majority(i.e Meitei).

In this particular context, the emergence of look east policy of India Government and the State Government's lobby for a Smart City in Manipur in Moreh border Town present a bittersweet delicate and dangerous for the indigenous Tribal overwhelmingly welcome the India Government's Look East Policy initiatives which present a prospective future for Indian and also indigenous Tribal in the process the "Smart City" agenda has threatened to implant/displace the indigenous customs, culture and population from the Tribal Land (i.e Moreh/Haolenphai Village where Manipur Government intends to acquire 3000 acres of Tribal Land).

This play to establish "Smart City" in the name of development only cast dark clouds of doom and extinction for tribal ownership of Moreh/Tribal/Thadou Land as the very "NDA" of "Smart City" is to transport hugely dominating majority community into the Smart City where the Tribal will be marginalised in all terms.

Since, the Tribal voice have so far been muffled by the Manipur Government, while there is no protective laws like "6th Schedule" implemented to re-assure us.

In this context, the Government of India will go a long way in maintaining peace, harmony and growth of Tribal People in the whole State, it added.

"The above points are the glaring example that poses threat to the survival and identity of the Thadou Tribe in particular and Tribal population of Manipur in general.

With all these grievances and unsecure situation, how could we Welcome, Smart City or anything else, make our live secure first.

In fact, we are very much afraid about smart city which will threat our live, tradition, culture, resources and as well as our Land.

Since, we came across the annual report of ministry of rural development GoI 2007-08 regarding Tribal Land issue in M.P, Odisha, Tripura, etc.," the memorandum pointed out.

It then said in the light of the perceived and felt threats accentuated by the past experiences vis-a-vis State Laws to snatch/encroach Tribal Lands.

It is the expressed desire and lobbying of the Tribals of Manipur that the India Government take proactive steps to protect and preserve the Tribal lands, identity by influencing the Manipur Government not to go ahead with the unauthorised illegitimate and criminal act of forcibly acquiring tribal lands (3000 acres) in the name of Smart City which is violating of Tribal Land Laws, Customs and Intents.

It is our earnest request and appeal to the Government of India to scrap the process of approving a Smart City plan at Haolenphai Village, Chandel District, Manipur, so that we may not have to take our own action and protection measures against such intrusive Manipur Government's initiatives, the Thadou Students Association also stated.

According to the memorandum, the Sixth Schedule of Indian means for special provision and protection of the most backward indigenous tribals by the magnanimous Indian Government, which has been implemented/ enforced in the States like Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, Mizoram and West Bengal (Darjeeling-Gorkha Hill Council), is still being denied to the vulnerable and backward tribals of Manipur.

While the 6th Schedule has been denied to the tribals of Manipur, persistent Manipur Government's Laws like NLUP, MLR&LR act, JFMC, VDC etc.

have been employed to encroach tribal Lands and overwhelmingly welcome India Government's policy for development in north east India, which has gained momentum over the past decade, it is our compelling and unflinching desire and demand to safeguard our rights and identity by allowing us to enjoy the already existents so called 6th Schedule provision of the great Indian constitution.

This 6th Schedule will re-assure us and make us open up to further interaction and integration with the large community of Manipur as well as the mighty Indian mainstream, it said.

"With reference to the above cited points, we are to draw your kind attention to consider above the points of demand in the interest of the Thadou Tribe in particular and the concerned Tribal population in general.

We hopefully believe that the Government on India would not neglect the sentiment of the tribals," the memorandum of the TSA-GHQ concluded.

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