Source: The Sangai Express
Lamka, Aug 10:
Numerous villagers displaced by Khuga Dam today related their tale of anguish to members of a Moirang based non-governmental organization, Sustainable Development Centre (SDC), during an interaction at Lamzang village.
SDC was here to analyze the impact Khuga Dam had on the affected villagers in collaboration with members of Women in Social Holistic Development and Rural Women Development Society.
During the interaction process, most villagers, hailing from various affected locality talked at length on how their life had been crippled by the dam and how meager they have been compensated.
"We were deprived of our living, as the water from the dam has submerged our fields' said Thangkhanmangm chief of Lunmual village.
"We may live for a year with our present resources but we are still at a loss on how to sustain our lives from next year" he added, even as he requested the visiting members to seek for dismantling the dam.
Many of the villagers claimed that their only source of income had been snapped and that they were now caught between relocating their houses and earning their livelihood.
They also alleged that the special assistance of awarding each household a full bag of rice and five bundle each of GI sheet announced by Chief Minister O Ibobi Singh during his visit to the village was still to be implemented.
Khuga Dam has so far submerged at least 7 villages and cut off all forms of communication except by boats over the back waters, for Tanglian, Kotlian, Belbing and Tollen villages.
Above 90 percent of the earthen dam has been completed yet none of the purpose the dam has been envisaged has been achieved, leave alone the Tiddim Road diversion that was deplorable and tedious to negotiate.