Source: Hueiyen News Service
Imphal, August 30 2010:
While alleging that compensations for the affected lands on NH-53 are yet to be paid by the concerned authority, 'Land Owners Association' today observed that there will be hindrances in road improvement works on the highway until the compensations are paid.
Talking to Hueiyen Lanpao, the secretary of the Land Owners Association, a body of the landowners whose lands were affected in the road improvement works NH-53, SK Athiko said that no official handing and taking over of the lands belonging to the tribals have materialized till date.
The lands in which the highways pass through are still in the control of the chiefs of villages and chairmen of the village authorities of the respective areas.
As of now no law can prevent the setting up of villages or building houses on the stretch of NH-53 from Keithelmanbi to Jiribam, he claimed.
The association (Land Owners Association) was formed to protect the right to property holdings of the chiefs and chairmen of villages, he recalled and said that the compensations given earlier by the authority was for cutting down of economical trees (like Yongchak, Orange plants) and for jungle cuttings but not for the lands.
There is no need for holding pattas for people owning land where no survey works have been conducted.
There is no objection from the people in converting the highway into a double-lane or a four-lane highway.The only thing they are demanding is compensations of the lands to the land owners, Athiko said.
The compensation should be paid to the affected land owners under section 4 of the Land Acquisition Act, 1898 which is in force in the state.
If authorities are attempting to take the lands forcibly various forms of agitations will be launched.
The President of the Nungba Area Village Authority, G Pongkhui, also said authorities concerned should try not to set up self imposed hurdles in the improvement works on the highway.
Otherwise various obstructions will come from the villagers, he warned.
If developmental work on the highway is to be taken up then the state as well as the Central governments should acquire the land by first giving due compensation.
They also wanted to end the controversy.
Chairman of the Longmai Area Village Chief's Association, Men Kamei also sharing his opinion said that except for the compensation paid for the cutting down forests by BRTF during 1993 no compensations for land have been paid by the government.
Clear out the land compensations so that no obstruction could come in taking up road imporvment works, he added.