Imphal, Jan 17NNN : All Manipur Tribal Union (AMTU) today urged upon the tribal people of Manipur to elect leaders in the ensuing Manipur general elections who can strengthen the Hill Area Committee (HAC), a sole institute which constitutionally protects the interest of the tribals, saying that the Government of Manipur is attempting to reduce them to victims of feudalism.
For example, the Reserve Forests in the district of Chandel were just declared in the year 1939 when the British colonial regime forcibly made the declaration under Indian Forest Act 1927 without the consent of the tribal chiefs, AMTU general secretary Romeo Bungdon stated while adding that the Manipur Forest Rules 1971 classified the forests of Manipur into three Reserve Forest, the Protected forest and the Unclassified Forest or Open Forest.
He said the State Government’s another policy is to transfer of power in recognition of a village while establishing from hills department to revenue department under the duress cabinet decision, most probably by overruling the Hill Area Committee.
The Government under its ambiguous policies will take up various land policies and land reformation against the aspiration of the tribal people, AMTU said, while adding that land grabbing and village displacements have already begun which is a gruesome violation of Article 371 of the Indian Constitution.
AMTU also said the tribal people should focus to elect leaders in the 10th Manipur Assembly elections who can strengthen the Hill Area Committee and further urged that hill based political parties and other leaders to necessitate such survival politics for retrieval strategies beyond political party lines which may ultimately eradicate threats of communal cord in the future.
Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/amtu-appeals-to-elect-good-leaders/
