Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, April 07 2009:
Acting on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL), Gauhati High Court has issued notice to the 9 respondents giving 4 weeks time to response to the prayer for immediate stoppage of the Imphal Tulihal Airport expansion move including land acquisition process which is currently underway.
The respondents include Deputy Collector, Commissioner, Revenue Dept, Govt of Manipur and Airport Authority of India.
The High Court issued the notice following a PIL filed jointly by the Human Rights Alert (HRA) and North East Peoples' Alliance on Trade, Finance and Development (NEPATFD) .
The PIL sought the court to stop the ongoing land acquisition process as the project is allegedly being carried out without the mandatory Environmental Clearance under the Environment Protection Act & Rules, 1986 .
Issuing a statement in this regard, programme executive of HRA Basantakumar Wareppa pointed out that of all the airports in India, Tulihal Airport is closest to the city and falls within the larger populated area of Imphal.
Since its creation during the 2nd World War, the airport has been expanded in 1961, 1970 and 1991 and the villages in the surrounding areas have been pushed out several times.
The present project, seeks to further expand the airport by an additional 690.8 acres of land, affecting not less than 7 villages.
Homestead land, agriculture land, fish farms, sacred groves, community ponds and grounds and even a school will be evicted in the process.
The expansion move violates the prescribed norms and dos not have the mandatory Environmental Clearance, the statement asserted, adding that preparation of detailed project report with its associated Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), Environmental Management Plan (EMP), Rehabilitation & Resettlement Plan and public hearing are mandatory under the provisions of the relevant Act & Rules, 1986 .
Though the immediate aim of the PIL is to halt the expansion of the Tulihal Airport, the larger issue to resist wanton destruction of life and livelihood in the name of 'development' in the NE region including construction of dams, highways and railways, clearing of forest for mining and plantations that are denying many indigenous people their very means of subsistence, Basantakumar said.