On March 14, 2018, protestors held a rally demanding the ‘recovery’ of more than Rs. 36 crores that was awarded as compensation to two persons for land acquired for an NF Railway project in Manipur State’s Noney district. People of Marangching village claim this land is their collective property but State authorities differ on the matter. (Morung Photos)
Morung Express News
Imphal/Noney | March 20
Three persons have sent a memorandum to the Chief Minister of Manipur withdrawing their names from an earlier memorandum on the Marangching Village (Makhuam) land compensation issue. They have stated that they will now work together with the people of the village to demand that compensation be paid for the common lands of the village to all.
“All villagers have united to fight for the loss of common property on the loss of their common lands for the construction of railway tracks,” stated the memorandum to the CM, calling for justice to the village.
The fresh memorandum sent on March 20 comes in the wake of a First Information Report filed in the Noney police station on March 19 by a person who stated that his signature was forged by an impersonator on the previous memorandum.
The earlier memorandum, sent to the Manipur CM on January 8 this year, had asked for legal action to be taken against few individuals of Marangching village said to have “disturbed” the NF railway project passing through the village by claiming to be village authority, and thereby deserving to claim compensation award in respect of land acquisition for the railway project.
However, the new memorandum sent to the CM on March 20 requested the “withdrawal” of the above memorandum as it was allegedly ‘filed under the influence’ of the DC Tamenglong and two people who were compensated for the acquired land from two neighbouring villages, amounting to more than Rs. 36 crores.
An agitation has been raging in Marangching Village in Manipur State’s Noney district after the DC Tamenglong, Armstrong Pame (IAS), awarded a compensation amount of more than Rs. 36 crores, in June 2017, to two persons for land acquired for the NF Railway project. Villagers claim the land belongs to all of them collectively as per customary practices of the village.
The new memorandum states that the DC had “verbally instructed” them to file the previous memorandum to resolve problems arising from the agitation. The same people have now decided to “join the agitation with the villagers” in the interest of “recovery of the amount belonging to the entire villagers withdrawn in respect of the common land of Marangching,” stated the March 20 memorandum.
Rally demands ‘recovery of 36 crores’
On March 14, the people of Marangching village took out a rally condemning the “looting of land compensation of villagers” and demanding the “recovery of Rs. 36 crores” that was allegedly “siphoned off” by the Tamenglong district authorities alongside two people claiming individual ownership of the land.
Held 17 km away from the village, at the railway project site, the rally was attended by men and women of the village in the presence of heavily armed security personnel including the Manipur police commandos and central paramilitary forces. The Government of India’s Northeast Frontier Railway is constructing Broad Gauge rail tracks here to connect Silchar (Assam) to Imphal (Manipur). Marangching is 56 km away from State Capital, Imphal.
Several court cases relating to the land issue in the area have been filed in various courts of Manipur State.
In a letter to the Chief Secretary of Manipur, in February this year, DC Tamenglong, alongside two other officers of Tamenglong district, have been charged with “gross violation” of the Right to Fair Compensation, Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013. A 'prosecution sanction' has been sought for the three.
DC Tamenglong, Armstrong Pame, maintained that he has followed necessary procedures, terming the allegations against him as “unfounded and baseless.”
Meanwhile, a youth from Marangching Village stated, “We are not against the rail project, but we are being compelled to take measures to ensure justice is done to us for the land that the village has given for the project.”
