Imphal, September 16: United Naga Council (UNC), Naga Women Union, Manipur (NWUM), All Naga Students' Association (ANSAM) and Naga Peoples' Movement for Human Rights South (NPMHR-S) have endorsed the call for 12-hour Chakka bandh and general strike by the Committee on Land and Natural Resources (CLONAR) on September 18 beginning from 6 am to 6 pm.

Announcing this in a joint statement signed by UNC president Samson Remei, NWUM president Grace Shatsang, ANSAM president Adani David Choro and NPMHR-S convenor P Phamhring, the Naga bodies asserted that the move to call this bandh is justifiable in the light of deliberate and persistent failure to listen to the people's voices by the 'democratically' elected Government and the lack of free, prior and informed consent of the affected communities.

The joint statement further said that there are also instances of violation of human rights, environmental and sustainable developmental standards even before the commencement of dam construction.

Despite numerous representations and meetings with authorities concerned reiterating the call to respect their rights over their land and resources, the project authority insists on proceeding with dam construction despite many visible violations on record.

In violations of India's and International environmental, developmental and human rights standards, the Power Minister of India laid the foundation stone for Tipaimukh dam in December 2006 and the project authority, NEEPCO, in violation of all developmental norms and in complete disregard of people's call for widespread consultation and taking their due consent, had called for International bid from construction companies for construction of Tipaimukh dam on November 20, 2005, the joint statement.

A memorandum of understanding between the Government of Manipur and the project authority was also signed on January 23, 2003 even as the affected people both in the upstream and downstream portion of Barak river called for a wide spread consultation on Tipaimukh dam based on provision of information on the project including impact assessments of the project, the joint statement recalled.

Likewise, the construction of Mapithel dam started without conducting a detailed environmental, social, cultural, economic impact assessment and most important, without taking free, prior and informed consent of the affected communities.

Rather threats and intimidations, arrest and torture of several affected villagers precedes commencement of dam construction and during dam constructions, the dam area has been heavily militarised causing physical and mental threats to the affected villagers, the joint statement added.

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