IMPHAL, Nov 2 : Expressing surprise over the voice of opposition to the demand that Jiribam be upgraded to the status of a full fledged revenue district, the Jiribam District Demand Committee (JDDC) has today asserted that this could be due to a hidden agenda.
In a statement issued to the press today, JDDC said that the demand to upgrade Jiribam to a district has been there for long without any opposition and added that the recent opposition raised by some quarters is indeed shocking.
Jiribam has been in existence for ages as a revenue sub-division and there is no question of anyone’s land being included in the proposed district, said the statement.
All the tribal people settled in Jiribam and other parts of the valley area are there after obtaining the required documents under the MLR Act, it said.
As such organisations like the UNC, Democratic Alliance of Tamenglong Autonomous Council and the NSCN (IM) should not try to mislead the people and sow seeds of discord, it added.
JDDC then questioned if what these organisations say is true then will this mean that the newly tribal settled areas in the valley districts will not be included in the valley districts.
On the other hand there is no question of taking any land from other districts when Jiribam is upgraded to a revenue district, said JDDC.
On the other hand, when Tamenglong district was created, two villages of Jiribam were included in it and 10 villages of Jiribam went to Churachandpur when it was created as a district
The inability of the State Government to take up the needed step is taken seriously by the people of Jiribam, it said and questioned why the Government is bending to the diktats of some groups of people whose stand is without foundation.
Despite all these, it is the fervent wish and hope of the people of Jiribam and the JDDC that the Government of the day will do the needful and upgrade Jiribam to the status of a revenue district.
The people of Jiribam and the JDDC are ever ready to launch different types of agitation until and unless the rightful demand is acceded to, it added.
Source: The Sangai Express
