Farmers ask Govt to make paddy fields accessible
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, June 26 2025: Farmers/owners of the paddy fields located in foothill areas of Pukhao Naharup, Gwaltabi and Chanung have once again urged the Government to take up necessary steps so that they can till their agricultural lands and cultivate crops.

A team of the COCOM1 Farmers' Wing today visited paddy fields located in the foothill areas of Imphal East district where paddy cultivation cannot be done on account of the violent crisis which erupted on May 3, 2023 .

One Yangoijam Nanda, a farmer from Pukhao Naharup said that they could not cultivate paddy in the paddy fields of Pukhao Naharup village no 10 located in the foothill areas on account of the sustained Kuki aggression.

This year a small portion of the same area is available for cultivation but more than 300 pans remain inaccessible to the farmers/owners, he said.

Saying that the Central forces do not allow them to go to the particular paddy fields, Nanda appealed to the Imphal East DC to take up necessary steps urgently before it is too late for cultivating paddy in the now forbidden paddy fields.

At present, Central forces have been providing security cover in paddy fields from 9 am to 4 pm, the farmer said before expressing keen desire to extend these hours of security cover by a few more hours.

Pointing out that the Central security forces are currently deployed in the valley, Nanda suggested that the Central forces be stationed in the nearby hills so as to thwart any further attack on unarmed and innocent farmers.

Another farmer Konjengbam Abung of Nongshum said that large tracts of Gwaltabi's agricultural land located near Khamenlok are still inaccessible.

Almost all the villagers of the area are dependent on agriculture for their livelihood but they could not cultivate paddy and other crops for the last two years.

This has severely affected their livelihood, he said.

Even though authorities have been claiming that peace has returned in the State, farmers are still kept away from their agricultural lands.

A war or aggression is not limited to exchange of fire.

Keeping off farmers from their agricultural lands is a serious form of aggression, he pointed out.

He also expressed strong displeasure on the deployment of Central forces only on the Meitei side.

Oinam Pakpa of Chanung said that paddy or other crops cannot be cultivated in the paddy fields of Chanung Leingangteibi and Awang Loukol because of the Kuki aggression.

He said that Central forces have not been allowing Meitei farmers to go to their paddy fields located at these places.

At the same time, the Central forces are not providing reliable security cover.

A cow was also shot to death by armed Kukis recently, Pakpa said.

The Central forces have been watching all these acts of aggression silently.

The Central forces also limit the working hours from 9 am to 11 am and from 2 pm to 4.30 pm in those paddy fields which are accessible to the rightful owners/ farmers, he said.

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