IMPHAL, November 24: The Thadou Students`™ Association has said that a memorandum has been submitted to the Prime Minister of India against the reported acquisition of 3000 acres of tribal land for the proposed smart city at Moreh (Holenphai), Chandel district.
In a statement, the student body has said that it opposes the government decision to construct the city as it will only render the tribes landless and homeless.
The statement further continued that it is against their culture and tradition to sell land at the cost of culture, traditions, customs, identity, forest and environment.
It further reiterated its earlier demand of the extension of the 6th Schedule of the Constitution of India in the hill areas of Manipur for protection of tribal culture, land, traditions, tribal identity.
It further demanded that the State government should offer an official public statement/ clarification through the press whether the reported acquisition of land at Moreh/ Haolenphai as stated by minister Govindas Konthoujam and reported in the Imphal Free Press is true or false.
If in case the report is false, it should retract the statement and offer public apology and in case it is true than it should provide detailed information on the process of land acquisition.
It has further demanded that the State government first clear the doubts and legitimate fears of the tribals and issue an unequivocal press statement in public interests regarding the stated demand at the earliest possible.