The proposed site for setting up a sports university in the state has been put to test. Land owners of the Yaithibi Loukon areas have come out against the government, contending that the selected site is a primary agricultural area. The land owners have also claimed that villagers of Sora, Langthabal Khunou, Koijam and Laiching Minou depend on the proposed site for agriculture, which is their chief occupation. To air their resentment against the government’s move to acquire land for the proposed university, the land owners association has called 48 hours general strike along the national highway No: 102, popularly known as the Imphal-Moreh road, starting November 5 evening. It has been reported that the land owners have petitioned the Prime Minister highlighting their grievances. They have maintained that the government authorities had taken out surveys of the proposed site without prior consent and knowledge of the villagers. This is a serious allegation indicted against the government by the land owners taking into account of The Right to Fair Compensation & Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013. The Act which came into force from January 1 of this year specifically mentions that the government, either central or state, must take the consent of the affected owners while acquiring lands for public purposes; through local bodies such as Panchayat, Municipality or the Autonomous District Council. The Act also states that it is mandatory for the government authorities to undertake a detailed process of Social Impact Assessment in consultation with the concerned local bodies, at village level or ward level in the affected areas. This is to be followed by public hearing via adequate publicity. Here, it is important to note that the land owners association of Yaithibi Loukon has cautioned that it will seek legal remedies if the authorities fail to withdraw the proposed idea of setting up a sports university in the area. It will be difficult to exalt the land owners and their claims in regard with the proposed site for a sports university, if it jeopardizes what is at stake. It is equally hard to disparage the government’s effort to set up an important public institution, which promises to be a priceless asset of the state. Very recently, the chief minister of the state had expressed concern that with the new Land Acquisition Act, 2013, the government’s effort to acquire land for developmental purposes has become an uncertain proposition. But we wonder why the government commits again, the same mistake of bulldozing the mandatory processes while acquiring lands. Why is it that the government always takes a hardened stance in dealing with the public while acquiring land? Take the airport land expansion for instance. Sporadic protests by the affected land owners surface due to lack of government’s amicable and transparent approach, which, at times puts the rights and dignity of the affected people at perilous junctures. The compensation, rehabilitation and resettlement process is still an unfinished business for the affected families, particularly of the Ningombam settlement at the eastern side of the airport. It is worth recalling the debacle of the Left front government of West Bengal in the 2011 state assembly election after 34 years of rule. The government which was led by the CPI (M), considered the bastion of Left movement, had to bite the dust following their inept handling of the Nandigram and Singur land acquisition for setting up industrial sites. The party had publicly acknowledged that they had made the mistake of by-passing proper discussion with the farmers of the said villages. It hasten to add that there is no indication of similar power shifts happening in Manipur regarding the issues of land acquisition as of now, considering the nonentity-like existence of opposition party in Manipur. With more land acquisitions in the offing for various developmental works, it is nonetheless important for the government to put a check on its overdrive mode in acquiring lands. Dream of a sports university should be realised with as little impediments as possible.
Leader Writer: Senate Kh