Manipur News

IMPHAL, Jul 21: The indefinite curfew imposition in Imphal West and Imphal East district from July 8 by orders of its District Magistrates will be relaxed for 14 hours tomorrow from 5 am to 8 pm.

The curfew was clamped in view of the volatile situation in the districts following the death of a student of Ananda Singh Higher Secondary Academy in the hands of police during a protest demonstration on July 8 demanding enforcement of Inner Line Permit System in the state.

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2015/07/curfew-relaxed-for-15-hours-today/

IMPHAL, July 24: The BJP will be submitting its recommendations on the Inner Line Permit issue adopted by its five member panel to the government soon, informed one of the general secretaries of the BJP Manipur Pradesh M Asnikumar.

Speaking to media persons in his party office, Asnikumar said the panel will be submitting its recommendations to the party president later in the evening.

He said the party`™s core committee will be discussing the recommendation after the submission to the party president.

The recommendations will later be submitted to the government, he said.

The demand for implementation of the ILPS in the Stat has been there for long, however, the Congress government has always denied it, he charged.

The demand for ILPS is a valid demand to safeguard the interest of the indigenous people which has been denied for long by the Congress, he continued.

The government, he said has failed to take action even now although a student has lost his life during police action.

He further accused the government of not taking any action against the police personnel, and demanded suspension of the personnel involved in the death of Sapam Robinhood at the earliest.

It is shocking that the last rites of Late Robinhood`™s body is yet to be performed, he added.

Adding that education institutes have also been closed since July 9, he said the present government is a weak government.

He demanded the government to open the educational institutes at the earliest.

Other than the ILPS issue, the State is also facing several other issues due to the wrong policies of the government, he claimed.

There is no accountability, transparency in everything that the government does, he continued.

There is no quality control in all projects and timely completion of any project, he added.

He further demanded the government to clarify on who should be held responsible of the sinking of Chadong Village, collapse of Sekmai Dam and leakage of Thoubal Dam.

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2015/07/bjp-to-submit-recommendations-on-ilps-to-government/

IMPHAL, July 24: The steering wheel down agitation of 12 transporters`™ bodies in support of the present movement demanding implementation of the Inner Line Permit System or a similar law in the State largely affected normal life in the State today.

The agitation started from 4am and continued till 5pm.

Due to the agitation, all inter-states and inter-districts passenger services remained off the roads for the day.

The main markets of Imphal, the three Ima market also wore a deserted look due to the agitation.

The number of vehicles plying on all major roads including those connecting districts headquarters was also minimal.

Meanwhile, supporters had also damaged some autorickshaws for plying during the agitation.

It may be mentioned that the 12 transporters`™ bodies had announced their agitation earlier in support of the present movement.

Today`™s agitation was also supported by transporters`™ bodies in other districts.

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2015/07/transporters-agitation-affects-normal-life-in-state/

IMPHAL July 24: Residents of three villages located in the immediate downstream of the Mapithel Dam are scattering for safety due to fear and anxiety after the dam reportedly started leaking.

A team of media persons and representatives of several NGOs accompanied officials of the concern department to visit the dam site and inspect the leakages.

The team was also accompanied by villagers.

The team found that villagers of Itham, Moirangpurel and Tumakhong villages have started evacuating their villages fearing the worst due to the reported leakages.

They are presently sheltered in the neighbouring villages as well in the foothills in the vicinity.

Interacting with the media persons, the villagers groaned they had slept in their trucks, waiting sheds and makeshift shelters.

It is hard for the pregnant women, women with infants, elders and children to sleep in the outside in this pouring monsoon rain, lamented the villagers.

However, there is no sign of returning to our villages until the government intervenes and implore the situation, he continued.

It may be mentioned that during the inspection, tell-tale signs of imperfection on the dam construction could be seen.

It was also interesting to note that despite the incompletion of the dam construction, the authorities have stopped the river water and began filling up the reservoir since January.

According to officials, the base of the dam which is supposed to be 500 meters in width is just 180 meters width (completed part) while at the top it is narrowed down to a mere five meters.

The bordering work of the inside is still ongoing whereas, less than just five meters of the dam is left for the water level to inundate it.

However, EE Mohindro overlooking the inspection said there is no need to panic at the moment.

When asked why the water was block before the completion of the dam he answered, `We are filling according to the capacity of the present progress.`™

Yet there was visible sign of panic and reinforcement on the side of the official side too.

About twenty labourers were seen filling the cement bags with stones and constructing embankment along the inner side of the dam.

The labourers told the media that the work was initiated today.

Suddenly midway during the inspection, we notice the release of water through the dam spillways. The officials informed that the volume/velocity of the water released was more than doubled today since yesterday.

Takhellambam Kaboklei representing the local said, `We have photographic evidence of erosion and loose soil in several parts of the dam and today we have seen leakages.`™

For the last few days, the surrounding villagers have been in a panicky situation as the monsoon rains continue, she said.

`We have been surviving without food,` she asserted.

There are several pregnant women and young infants who are scattering in search of safety in the rain, he lamented.

She continued in response to our agitation, the authorities have released the water today.

Our apprehension is that before the completion of the dam they have blocked the water and collected such a huge volume of water, she lamented.

To laypersons like us, this has heightened our apprehension as we had witnessed the tippers filling up earth for the dam in a very loose manner.

We have submitted several memorandums, but the government continues to remain silent, the villager lamented.

Our livelihood based on our access to the river is now transformed to scarcity of water. Our flora and fauna has transformed. The government ought to take such things into cognizance and consider our survival, she continued.

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2015/07/mapithel-dam-downstream-villagers-scatter-for-safety-due-to-dam-leakage-scare/

IMPHAL, July 24: The past few days of rainfall has already taken its toll as locals of Awang Sekmai found it the hard way this morning.

Locals found part of the Sekmai dam constructed over the Imphal River under the River Lift Irrigation (RLI) Scheme under the Minor Irrigation department has collapsed and carried away by the strong currents of the river.

Locals who have been raising the issue of cracks appearing on the dam for sometime said there was no quality control during construction of the dam.

Locals also deplored that none from the concerned department has tried to inspect the damage till late morning.

It may be mentioned that during the recent session of the Manipur Legislative Assembly in the first week of this month, Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh had clarified on the reported cracks appearing on the dam.

Speaking on behalf of the Minor Irrigation department, the Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh had said the Sekmai Dam construction was started in the year 2011 under the RLI scheme under NEC funding at an estimated cost of Rs 4.22 crores.

During the last week of June, the dam was put on a trial basis and supplied water for irrigation even though the construction is not fully complete, he had said and added that due to the water current of the river, the lower portion (at ground level) acted as a spring, but now it has been filled up.

The Chief Minister had also informed the House that construction of the dam was looked after by the contractors and not fully handed over to the department and as such all responsibilities should lie with the contractors.

He had also observed that the Vigilance department has also taken up a case and inquiry against three department officials who were supervising the dam, and further asserted that no official who is found guilty will escape punishment.

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2015/07/sekmai-dam-collapses-locals-lament-departments-indifference/

IMPHAL, July 24: The Joint Committee on Inner Line Permit System has appealed to the people to continue with the democratic forms of agitation in demand for a proper bill in the interest of the indigenous people of the State.

It has appealed to the people to continue with organising sit in protests, human chains and rallies.

A statement of the committee urged the people to continue until the government reacts positively to the public resolutions.

It said the government`™s response to the resolution undertaken during yesterday`™s public consultation will show its commitment to the issue.

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2015/07/jcilps-urge-people-to-continue-rallies-sit-ins/

IMPHAL, July 24: The office of the Accountant General (A&E) Manipur has notified that it had uploaded the annual GPF e-statement for the year 2014-15 with effect from July 23 on the official website of the office.

In a statement the AG office said that all the subscribers can download their annual statement directly from the website hppt://agmpr.cag.gov.in and utilise for their advances/withdrawals/final payment etc.

It said that as PIN for login to the online GPF and OTP for GPF details are to be sent only through SMS to the respective registered mobile numbers, those subscribers whose mobile numbers have not been registered with the AG office will not be able to download their annual GPF e-statement.

It divulged that subscribers who have not been registered with the AG office are required to register their mobile number for which the registration forms can be downloaded from the website hppt://agmpr.cag.gov.in.

It further notified all the DDOs/Sanctioning authorities to download the QR code reader from the same website and install the same to the android smart phone/tablets for verification of the balances shown in the statement submitted by the subscribers at the time of their advances/withdrawals/final payments etc.

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2015/07/gpf-estatements-uploaded-in-official-website/

IMPHAL, July 24: The government constituted Drafting Committee of a new bill in the interest of the indigenous people will be meeting legal experts for the second time tomorrow at 4pm.

According to reports received by the IFP, the meeting will be convened at the office of the Revenue, Law and Legislative Affairs and Forest & Environment minister Th Debendra Singh who is also the chairman of the drafting committee.

It is also learnt that the All Manipur Bar Association has formed a drafting committee of its own this evening during an extended executive meeting at its Uripok Cheirap Court complex office.

The AMNA drafting committee team to attend the meeting will be led by its president senior advocate H Chandrajit Sharma who was also appointed as the chairman of the AMBA committee, sources said.

The other members of the AMBA drafting committee are AMBA general secretary advocate B Supriya Devi as convenor, joint secretary AMBA advocate A Neelakumar Singh as assistant convenor, senior advocates S Lakhikant Singh and Khaidem Mani Singh as members.

The AMBA committee will also submit opinions of its members to the bill drafting committee before August 1.

Advocate N Kumarjit Singh who is the chairman of the 11-member core-committee of the High Court Bar Association, Manipur will lead the core committee team in tomorrow`™s meeting.

Sources also informed that the core-committee also convened a meeting this afternoon at 1pm which lasted for more than two hours.

During the meeting the core-committee had discussed at length the legal provisions regarding the five points submitted by the Joint Committee on Inner Line Permit System.

During the meeting, the committee also discussed preparation of a model draft bill, sources said.

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2015/07/bill-drafting-committee-to-meet-legal-experts-today/

IMPHAL, 24 July: `We are ready die in our village` said Margaret, a villager of Chadong who has till date resisted being shifted from her village even though the water level submerging the village is rising uninterrupted.

Ever since the dam water of the Mapithel Dam on Thoubal River has been blocked in January this year, water has been seeping slowly and submerging villages.

A mere Rs 14 lakhs compensation for rehabilitation and resettlement does not justify the pains of the villagers, Margaret lamented.

The amount is not enough to buy even a small piece of land, she groaned.

Margaret was speaking to a small team of media persons who had visited Chadong Village yesterday to capture the mournings of the villagers who are being displaced by the rising water.

Chadong Village which had around 1400 villagers is now left with only about 300 who desire to stay back lamenting the RR package of the State government.

To reach the village from the side of Ramrei Village, one has to cross a 4-km stretch of water body in a boat which is propelled by a villager.

From the edge of the water body in Ramrei Village, one can see a view of the Chadong Community hall which seems to be floating on the vast water body.

After more than an hour of rowing, the boat reaches Chadong of which most parts including the school, church and houses are partly submerged.

A yet to be inaugurated school constructed under RMSA is about to be totally submerged. Villagers from the nearby villages are also there trying to help the Chadong villagers dismantle their houses which will soon be submerged and shift to a higher location.

The process is however, made harder by the incessant rain.

An old villager, Achung on being asked about her condition said life cannot be measured with money.

He said they were very happy before the dam with fertile paddy fields and the students attending schools and enough to support their families.

But the dam has changed all equations today, he lamented.

It is a nightmare to even think of the children`™s education, he continued.

Until the demand for a revision of the RR plan is met, they will not leave Chadong Village, he asserted.

During a brief meeting, Mapithel Dam Affected Villagers Organisation chairman Ks Dominic charged the State government had not notified the villagers about its eviction plan.

Now with the water level already reaching the cattle grazing ground, fields, playground, it wouldn`™t be long before it is fully submerged, he lamented.

He vividly expressed that until amicable solution is not brought, they will not accept any compensation amount from the Government.

He lamented that the recent inspection team led by one Chief Engineer as an expert sanctioned by the National Green Tribunal court only collected information from the government agents and officials and avoided to interact with the affected people.

He said that the government must review and arrange for sustainable survival solutions included in the organisation`™s 26-point demand which also include fishing rights, tourism rights, forest rights etc. Article 21 of Indian Constitution has been totally violated by the government, he maintained.

MDAVO vice chairman Themson Jajo supplementing on the issue said that Mapithel Dam having provision to supply potable water to the Imphal area is funded as loan by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) on the agreement that the project do not violate any human rights.

He further said that the construction of Mapithel Dam has violated human rights in multiple ways and if JICA continues to fund the Integrated Water Supply Project (IWSP) will only escalate human rights violation.

Themson said that a memorandum has already been submitted to JICA on February 19 and further to follow up another memorandum will soon be submitted to JICA appealing not to fund such controversial and anti-people project.

Villagers of Thawai also known as Thoyee Village are also affected by the construction of Mapithel Dam said Saka Wonraila as their irrigation fields, the only source of their livelihood is submerged. She said that the State Chief Minister should visit the surrounding villages to see and feel the dismay of the villagers. She blamed the State government which created horrifying situation among the villages residing around the Mapithel Dam.

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2015/07/will-not-budge-from-village-until-rr-package-revised-chadong-villagers/