Meetei Tribe Union decries MLR&LR Act
Source: Chronicle News Service

Imphal, April 30 2024: Maintaining that the MLR&LR Act 1960 has created divisions among the hills and valley dwellers, Meetei/Meitei Tribe Union (MTU) termed existing land laws in Manipur as root cause for the perennial conflicts in the state.

In a statement, MTU said that prior to the enactment of MLR&LR Act, Manipur's situation was not as contentious, owing to its relatively sparse population.

However, since implementation of the MLR&LR Act, relations between hill and valley settlers deteriorated, which MTU believes is due to flaws in drafting and implementation of the Act, as only three Meeteis and one from the hills were included in the 30-member drafting committee.

Consequently, critical issues concerning the state's territorial integrity may not have been adequately addressed.

The release also said that the designation of "Partly Hill Area" to define the jurisdiction of the Hill Areas Committee has led to the inclusion of valley regions with mounds, which fall within valley constituencies, in the SADAR Hills districts.

As these areas were placed under the administrative control of the Autonomous District Council.

In 2011, Land Protection Committee of Sekmai Assembly Constituency submitted a memorandum to the chief minister, urging for the exclusion of Sekmai, Kanto, Koutruk, and Kadangband from the SADAR Hills districts, it said.

MTU also pointed out that despite the appointment of chairman of the district boundary commission to demarcate boundaries following the creation of nine additional districts by the then state government in 2015 for administrative convenience, no steps have been taken to demarcate district boundaries to date.

The statement emphasised that land surveys are a global norm and it is unprecedented for any region not to undertake such surveys.

Shockingly, in Manipur, approximately 90 percent of land remains un-surveyed.

Since the last survey conducted in 1960, no further surveys were carried out.

Consequently, the indigenous Meetei community is effectively living without land titles, resembling a landless community.

Many individuals reside without any legal land ownership documentation, which blatantly violates Article 14 of the MLR&LR Act, for which the government should be held accountable.

MTU also submitted a memorandum to the representatives of the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST) during their visit to the state on December 21, 2022, urging for the recognition of Meeteis as a tribal group and included in the Scheduled Tribes (ST) list of the Indian Constitution, the release said while adding that there is the urgent need to issue land titles to indigenous Meeteis derived of one and are residing like displaced persons in their own homeland, and to acknowledge Meeteis as rightful citizens of India.

MTU also called upon all to participate in the "Our Land, Our Right" campaign and to engage in peaceful demonstrations against government authorities through democratic means.

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