PAPPM against making Koirengei a military cantonment
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, August 18 2025: The People's Alliance for Peace and Progress Manipur (PAPPM) has appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi not to develop Koirengei Airfield as a military cantonment Constructed during World War II (1942-43) with the assistance of American engineers, Koirengei Airfield played a decisive role in the Battle of Imphal, a battle recognised by UNESCO as one of the most significant turning points of the Second World War in Asia, the PAPPM said in a memorandum addressed to the Prime Minister.

Along with Tulihal, Pallel, and other airstrips, Koirengei facilitated the Allied supply lines that prevented Manipur and the North Eastern frontier from falling into the hands of the Japanese Army.

The airfield is therefore not just a military relic, but a living testimony to global history, linking Manipur to world events of the 1940s, it said.

Koirengei Airfield today stands at a similar crossroad: whether it will remain a restricted cantonment of little value to public life, or whether it will be reclaimed as a public heritage site, promoting remembrance, education, and tourism, it said.

The PAPPM has also raised many concerns in case Koirengei Airfield is developed as a military cantonment.

If Koirengei is converted into a military cantonment, the site will remain cut off from public engagement, erasing opportunities for education, cultural remembrance, and tourism development.

The airfield lies within a rapidly expanding Imphal city.

Establishing a cantonment in this location will create severe restrictions on land use, urban expansion, and infrastructure development.

Manipur has a long memory of spaces of cultural and historic value being alienated from its people through prolonged militarisation.

Extending this model at Koirengei may deepen resentment and social alienation, it said.

With growing interest in WWII heritage tourism, especially from countries like Japan, Britain, and the United States, Manipur stands to lose a major source of international goodwill, economic growth, and employment if Koirengei remains inaccessible.

On the other hand, if developed as a heritage and tourist site, Koirengei Airfield could become part of a WW II Heritage Circuit linking Imphal, Kohima, and other sites of global recognition.

It can also generate local employment through heritage tourism, museums, guided tours, and cultural festivals.

It will also promote National integration by making the people of India and the world aware of Manipur's role in the global struggle for freedom and peace.

It will also serve as a memorial to shared sacrifices, fostering reconciliation and respect across communities in case it is developed as a heritage and tourist site.

Maintaining that Koirengei Airfield should not be converted into a permanent military cantonment, the PAPPM asserted that the Union Government, in collaboration with the Government of Manipur, should initiate steps to declare it a protected heritage site.

It further appealed to the Prime Minister for development of a Koirengei WW II Heritage and Peace Park with museum facilities, memorial spaces, and cultural infrastructure.

This step would not only preserve history but also transform Manipur into a hub of global heritage tourism, while symbolically bridging the gap between State, Nation, and people, just as the restoration of Kangla did, it added.

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