Imphal, Aug 19 NNN : Committee for Protection of Tribal Areas, Manipur (COPTAM) has resolved that it would oppose tooth and nail regarding the government decision which says that recognition of any new village in the hill districts of Manipur should be done with the consent of the state Revenue department.
COPTAM in a meeting held today resolved that the Committee with the support of the tribal people will oppose the decision. “The final authority with regard to the recognition of a new village in the hills is the Hills department,” stated the COPTAM resolution.
COPTAM general secretary Thangkam Lupheng informed Newmai News Network that another resolution that has been taken in today’s COPTAM deliberation is the Jiribam issue. The COPTAM leader says that the Committee does not oppose to the “declaration” Jiribam subdivision as a full fledged district. “However, if at all the state government grants the Jiribam subdivision to district status, it should be declared as a “hill district” and not otherwise,” said COPTAM resolution. According to the tribal committee, in case the state government declares Jiribam as a district but still not as a hill district status then tribal villages should be adjusted to include in either Churachandpur or Tamenglong districts. Driving home its point to prove Jiribam is in a hill district, COPTAM claimed that in the 1970s any government employee posted in Jiribam was given the ‘hills allowance’ by the government. “This has proved that Jiribam is very much in the hill district,” said COPTAM.
On the hill land survey matter, COPTAM meeting resolved that no agency or government department should be allowed to carry out the survey. COPTAM’s move on this came after the state Revenue minister had stated in the last assembly session that hill land survey would be carried out soon. However, expressed if certain acceptable mechanism is done by the state governmentfirst then the tribal committee may review its decision. COPTAM cited that all land record should be submitted to the respective Autonomous District Council (ADC) and followed by proceedings acceptable to the tribals before the hill land survey is done by the state government.
On the Autnomous District Councils (ADCs) in the hills, COPTAM said that for namesake it is ‘autonomous’ but in reality it is a hollow ADCs in Manipur hills. “COPTAM demands from the government to make the ADCs in Manipur hills fully ‘autonomous’. “Since the elections to the ADCs were held and though it is only a namesake in existence we can do little now to reverse the whole process except to demand for the real autonomous district councils and empower the local people so as to make the grass root level democracy meaningful,” said COPTAM.
COPTAM then discussed on the district boundary issue.
Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/coptam-does-not-want-revenue-involved-in-hill-areas/
