Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, August 09:
The people of Pashom Khunou, a clusters of Meitei families, in Ukhrul district are encountering numerous problems as they do not have the ownership right of the land.
Situated 16 kms from Mahadeva along Imphal-Ukhrul road, the remote hill village has 30 households and a total population of 170 people.
Most of the settlers have come to settle from various places like Pungdongbam, Nambol, Sambram, Andro, etc, at different stages of history during the reign of Manipuri kings.
But they have no right to own the land as the entire land belongs to Pashom Ningthou.
Geographically, this Meitei settlement comes under Ukhrul district, but the inhabitants are enrolled in the voter lists of their respective place of origin.
According to an old woman who has spend better part of her life living in the said village, one of the land they occupied are pattaland.
Instead every households pay Rs 1000 each as taxes annually to Pashom Ningthou.
Over and above this, Agriculture being the main occupation of the villagers, they also have to pay 10 bags of paddy per Sangam of the land they cultivated to the Ningthou annually.
In the domain of education, the people of the village are lagging far behind in comparison with the people of the neighbouring villages like Sanakeithel.
The poor condition of the existing road and communication facilities put a big hurdles on the development of the village despite abundance in agricultural yield.
For coming to Imphal in a passenger jeep, one has to spend Rs 150 as fare and Rs 50 by bus.
This is like a monumental amount for the people of the village whose source of income is limited.
Apart from living amidst the harsh realities of lack of communication facilities, education, health care, electricity, and other developmental activities, not only the people of Pashom, but also other neighbouring villages complaint of not getting their share of developmental works being taken up by the Govt.