JIRIBAM, Nov 30: Taking strong exception to the notification that hill villages in Jiribam district will no longer have to pay Hill House Tax, a number of Hmar, Kuki and Thadou organisations have threatened to merge with Pherzawl district.
About seven organizations namely Hmar Inpui Coordination Committee, Jiribam, Kuki Inpi Jiri-Tamenglong, United Chief Committee, Jiribam, Hmar Students’ Association, Jiribam, Kuki Students’ Organisation Jiri-Tamenglong, Thadou Students’ Association Jiri-Tamenglong received the news from the Deputy Commissioner of Jiribam, said a joint statement issued today.
The press release added that such an arrangement is a violation of their Constitutional rights.
It stated that Hmar and Kuki communities are one of the earliest inhabitants of Jiribam and have been paying hill house tax for ages.
The civil organisations came to learn that no villages have been recorded/ categorized as hill villages in Jiribam which is an insult to the status of the hill people in Jiribam.
Meanwhile, the Deputy Commissioner of Jiribam has agreed to forward a query while mentioning that the hill tax were paid till 2016 and one particular village till 2017.
The organisations appealed the authority concerned to resolve the issue within twenty days.
“If the authority concerned fails to resolve the matter within the stipulated time, the hill leaders will be compelled to initiate a mass movement to mobilize the people to demand that hill villages will merge with Pherzawl district by any means”, it added.
Source: The Sangai Express
