Laikhong villagers call for State Govt's help amid resettlement process
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, September 19 2023:
With resettlement starting at Yairipok Laikhong under Imphal East district, villagers have appealed for the State Government's assistance as a majority of their houses have been razed or vandalized.
Addressing the media during a press conference held at Laikhong under Andro Assembly Constituency yesterday, Wahengbam Ranjit, secretary, Laikhong Village Authority shared that the houses in the village were set ablaze and looted by Kukis on May 29 .
Out of the 85 houses in the village, 53 were razed to the ground while the remaining 32 were vandalized.
Thus, the villagers who have come back are collectively taking shelter in community halls and pavilion structures (shanggoi) as their own homes have been destroyed, he maintained.
|
The villagers have to restart their lives from scratch as all their properties have been lost to the fire and violence, he said.
Further he shared that for now, the men stay in the village while the women come in the morning and leave for the relief camp in the evening after performing their chores.
In the face of such hardships, he appealed to the State Government to rebuild their houses and deploy adequate security forces for their safety.
A villager by the name of Laishram Nongyai echoed the much-repeated truth that sheltering at relief camps cannot serve as a permanent solution for the displaced families.
He also suggested vegetable farming of various seasonal crops in the villagers' homesteads as large-scale farming has completely failed due to the crisis and appealed for help from the relevant State department in this regard.
Moreover he stressed on the shortage of drinking water and the spread of diseases as the villagers are sleeping on the floor in relatively open spaces and not their own homes.
Laishram Nongyai has further appealed for an increase in the compensation announced by the Government (Rs 5 lakh) for those who have lost their homes.