IMPHAL, January 29: The Oinam Tangleihad Okshoi Protection Committee has lifted its 48 hours bandh on NH 150 after the Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh assured to withdraw its decision for allotting 188.75 acres of Oinam Tangleihad Okshoi grazing ground to the Veterinary and Animal Husbandry Department for plantation of fodder today.
Oinam Nagar Panchayat chairperson Oinam Budhi speaking on behalf of the protection committee said if the government doesn`™t take positive actions, the agitation will be continued with more intensity.
Oinam people launched agitations by blocking the NH-150 on January 28 and 29 in protest against the decision of the state government to hand over the Okshoi grazing ground to Veterinary and Animal Husbandry for fodder plantation.
The decision for the withdrawal of the agitation was taken after the Oinam A/C MLA Dr I Ibohalbi held talks with the Chief Minister and deputy Chief Minister on the night of January 28 along with representatives of the protection committee.
Many people from Oinam were injured in police action during the agitations yesterday.
During the meeting, the Chief Minister had assured to review the matter in the next cabinet meeting. Meanwhile, the committee thanked the Chief Minister for acting in consideration for the public grievance.
Today, Dr I Ibohanbi told the media that Okshoipat in Oinam is surrounded by Yangoi Maril on the Northern side, Meichakpi on its Southern side, while in its east lays Yangbi and in the west it`™s surrounded by Mayangpat. The portion of this lake was handed over to the locals for grazing their cattle from the Fishery department by the then Chief Commissioner in 1954. The ground was declared as belonging to the people of Oinam by the Director of Settlement on April 19, 1972 when two persons laid claims to the ground by encroaching upon it.
It got embroiled in another land dispute when 32 persons laid claims to the ground by entering it in their names in the patta record but the Meira Paibis filed a case in the High court in 1995. Later, DC Imphal West gave instructions to conduct an inquiry on who actually owned the ground. After the completion of the inquiry, DC Imphal West ordered that the land can`™t be allowed to be owned by the 32 people.
Dr I Ibohanbi met the Chief Minister twice: once in the morning along with the Deputy Chief Minister and again with the protection committee in the night. After a negotiation, the committee decided to withdraw the agitation in Oinam.