IMPHAL, October 30: “How many more orders are needed to be issued, by the Governor and the state government to address the displacement issue cause by the purposed Maphithel Dam Project to our villagers? How many more times the govt wants to twist the rehabilitation process? ”, were some of the questions placed before the government by members of the representatives of the Maphithel Dam Affected Villages Organization.
They were speaking to IFP after a press conference at the Manipur Press Club today.
During the press conference, representatives of several organisations had said that they reject the govt notification issued by the Deputy Commissioner of Ukhrul on October 22 last, which said that the Deputy Commissioner as the chairman will verify families to be covered under Relief and Rehabilitation Package with regard to the two villages of Chadong and Lamlai Khunou of Ukhrul district from October 31 to November 2 and October 29-30 respectively.
During the press conference the representatives also expressed their dissatisfaction over the government’s decision and recent orders to settle the displacement issue that is inverted from the people’s expectation.
Expressing their grievance towards the government and its current process to tackle the rehabilitation and re-settlement process of dam construction, the representatives also told IFP that the government has twisted the issue. Further they informed IFP that they have struggled and been pressing the state government for nearly 5-years to constitute an ‘Expert Review Committee’ by including the representation of the people affected by the construction of dam.
And, they further maintained that on January 18, 2008, the state government had notified that the ‘Governor is pleased to constitute an expert review committee to examine the rehabilitation and resettlement programmes of the affected village as construction of the Multipurpose project’.
They further maintained that after the govt. approved to include the representatives of MDAVO on February 4, 2008 in the expert review committee, a roundabout after 7 review and consultation meeting was held and recommendation was also passed on the rehabilitation and resettlement process but the ‘recommendation of the expert committee were never materialised by the govt. authority and it has only remained in the paper’.
But the representative further said that on Sept 28 2012, another new govt order was notified to ascertain the figures pertaining to the families to be covered under relief and rehabilitation for Chadong and Lamlai village Khunou village. The representatives said they are against it.
They further told IFP that the government doesn’t seem to have a proper systematic policy to address the displacement issue as the government neither follows the national rehab-policy nor does it have a specific state policy, most of the initiatives seem to be taken by IFCD.
They further said that ‘IFCD is not only the sole authority to solve this displacement issues and their arbitrary decision would be opportune for affected people futures’.