Jiribam, January 12: Abon-Punjee located within Jiribam sub-division of Imphal East district is an exclusive Khasi village.

Inhabited by about 233 people, it has a self-reliant economy of its own cultivating betel leaves and betel nuts all year round.

But the villagers are unhappy with the failure of the State Government to recognise them as a schedule tribe.

Abon-Punjee is just about 14 kms from Jiribam sub-divisional hqs along Jiribam-Tipaimukh road.

Located atop a small hill, the village was first founded in 1939 by just three families after fleeing from Jaintia Hills of Meghalaya following a feud between two princes there.

Cut off from other communities most of the time, each household of Abon-Punjee village is surrounded by betel leaf plants.

While the plucking of betel leaves and nuts are mostly done by male, women are always busy preparing the betel leaves and nuts for marketing.

Charles Lamurang is the chief of the village.

He inherited the chieftainship from his great grand-father.

Engaged in cultivating and trading betel leaves and nuts, each household in the village is able to earn Rs 20,000 per month.

Sometimes the monthly income goes up to Rs 40,000, said Charles while interacting with The Sangai Express.

At times, the villagers have to fulfil monetary demands of UG groups.

The betel leaves and nuts produced in the village are sold at Phultal, Assam from where the products are taken to Imphal.

When there was blockade on NH 53 or other problems, traders took their merchandise to Aizawl before taking it to Imphal through Churachandpur.

On being asked whether UG groups made fixed monetary demands, Charles said that earlier UG groups did not fix amounts of their demand.

They accepted whatever amount the villagers gave them but these days the UG groups have started demanding fixed amounts.

One UG group has prohibited transportation of betel leaves (Kom Kwa Mana) including those produced in Abon-Punjee along NH 53 following the ban on importing mitha mana along the same highway, conveyed the village chief.

Informing that each family in the village gets 25 kgs of PDS rice and 2.5 litres of kerosene oil per month, Charles lamented that even as there is one LP School in the school, not a single teacher has been posted there since 1989. The villagers used to send their children to Silchar for education.

At present nine natives of Abon-Punjee are working under the Government of Meghalaya, he conveyed.

However, there is no one in the village working under the Government of Manipur, he added.

Maintaining that the village has been conforming to the culture and tradition of the Khasis, the chief informed that many of the villagers inter-married with Hmars and Rongmeis.

Even as the local MLA and Forest Minister Th Debendra assured many development works in the village, nothing has come out of the Minister's assurance, rued Charles Lamurang.

He also lamented the failure of the State Government to recognise this small minority group as a schedule tribe.

In another clear case of non-maintenance of work quality, the IVR leading to the village was found overgrown with grasses even though the road was black-topped just 15 days back.

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