Imphal, November 14 2010: Manipur government is going to insist its Nagaland counterpart to restore 4,241 acre of land of the state government allotted to the Manipur State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) which have been encroached by private individuals.

The land has been in the name of the MSRTC for a very long time but remained as a barrel land in the heart of Dimapur when the MSRTC petered out.

Manipur government has realized the importance of the land with state vehicles having no secure parking place in Dimapur.

Manipur government is planning to develop the land as parking place for state vehicles plying on NH 39, particularly for freight trucks transporting essential commodities from Dimapur to Imphal, an official source said.

State security will also be stationed at the place for protection of state vehicles from anti-social elements.

Chief Minister O Ibobi has entrusted a high level team led by Transport Minister L Jayantakumar to look into the alleged encroachment of the land of the MSRTC complex at Dimapur Town Block-III, the source said.

The team comprising state Works Minister K Ranjit Singh, Tourism Minister TN Haokip, Deputy Chairman of State Planning Board Bijoy Koijam, Chairman of Manipur Pollution Control Board E Dwijamani and Deputy Speaker Lokeshore as well as Commissioner (Transport) and Director of Transport will go to Dimapur to take stock of the present condition of the land, the source added.

The team will head on November 21 and after inspecting the present status of the land will submit a report to the Chief Minister, the source said.

During their proposed 3 to 4 day long visit, the official team is also expected to meet the Deputy Commissioner of Dimapur, Chief Minister of Nagaland and the Revenue Minister to discuss the issue after submitting a letter from the state government to its counterpart regarding the return of the land.

The 4.241 acres of land which was allotted to Manipur government by Nagaland Government for development of MSRTC complex but since the abolished of the MSRTC in 2003, the land have been encroach upon by the private individuals.

Apart of developing private business centres in the complex, even a church has been constructed there.

In the meantime, reports said that Dimapur District Congress Committee has lodged a complaint with the Anti-Corruption Cell, Dimapur district alleging that Dimapur DC had Maung Aiyer has given out allotment of some lands in Dimapur including the MSRTC complex to some private individual in irregular manner.

However, the DC is learnt to have turned the charges level against him stating that the lands were allotted with the knowledge of Nagaland government and the MSRTC complex was allotted to seven individual in consultation with the state government.

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