IMPHAL, October 16: The Indigenous Perspective has alleged that proper resettlement and rehabilitation for 120 households of Ningombam Awang Leikai and Atom Leikai has not been done regarding the airport expansion by the State government.
According to a statement, the government had agreed to entitle a small plot of land of 0.15 acre to each affected family. Accordingly the government had identified sites at nearby hillock area, Heibokching Macha. It said the proposed site is currently not fit for human settlement.
It continued that the area to be settled compared to the displaced population is too small. Moreover, there is lack of basic amenities such as water, electricity, proper approach road, drainage and sanitation etc, it said.
Further the statement maintained that some of the houses face the possibility of facing landslide, before adding that there are still 20 families who have not received any compensation for their agricultural land, horticultural properties. The government`™s promise of building better houses and making a model village has not seen the light of the day, it added.
It also highlighted that of all the airports in India, Tulihal airport in Imphal is closest to the city and falls within densely populated areas of Imphal. Since its creation during the Second World War, it has been expanded in 1961, 1970 and 1991; thereby the villages have been made to suffer several times for the sake of `development`™, said the statement.
The idea of expanding the current airport to an `international standard`™ (as different from an international airport) is not based on actual study that justifies a need for expansion, it alleged.
The statement also added that it will be democratic on the part of the government to explain why such an expansion is still required, and why such vast amounts of agricultural land are needed.