Pothashang News Service
Imphal, December 20: The Centre for Research and Advocacy (CRAM), an indigenous peoples’ organisation has urged the government to initiate necessary steps to comply the directions issued in the judgement of NGT Court, Kolkata Bench, to fully implement the Forest Rights Act, 2006 in commissioning Mapithel Dam.
CRAM urged to desist from commissioning the Mapithel dam until vital matters including forest rights violation, rehabilitation and resettlement, alternate livelihood for upstream and downstream affected communities are resolved in interest of the affected community.
A press statement released yesterday by CRAM secretary stated that it was still premature to commission the Mapithel dam as the government fails to provide an amicable way to resolve Rehabilitation and Resettlement plan of the affected villagers, in both upstream and downstream areas of the dam .The affected villagers are forced to sacrifice their ancestral land, forest, river and residential areas, added the statement.
The organisation opposes the plan without detailed assessment in the dam areas which deliberately violates the human rights. The communities have suffered untold miseries and hardships without provisions of alternative livelihood and other remedial measures.
It stated that the Mapithel dam clearly violates the Forest Rights Act, 2006 as concluded by the recent judgement of the National Green Tribunal on Mapithel dam on December 6.
It urges the government to initiate necessary steps to fulfill the instructions issued in the judgement of NGT Court, Kolkata Bench, to fully implement the Forest Rights Act, 2006.
It is highly likely that the Mapithel dam would follow the same footsteps of the previously failed and under-performed projects like Khoupum dam, Khuga dam, Singda dam and Loktak Hydroelectric project in the state, added the statement.
People of the dam affected area has long been agitating to safeguard the rights to life before the dam is commissioned.
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