Imphal: Rajya Sabha MP Maharaja Sanajaoba Leishemba of Manipur has urged Manipur Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla, to prevent the eviction of indigenous residents of Leimakhongmapal, Chonthaba Village, under Lamlai Police station in Imphal East district.
In a letter written to the governor on Thursday, the MP highlighted that the affected families have peacefully inhabited their ancestral homesteads for generations, long before Manipur merged to the Indian Union.
Due to the absence of formal land titles, they now face the threat of eviction despite possessing ration cards and being consistently listed in electoral rolls, he mentioned.
Many of these families qualify for land regularisation under Section 14 of the Manipur Land Revenue and Land Reforms Act, 1960, which allows allotment of government land to landless persons, the MP said in the letter.
He noted that eviction at this juncture, especially after the socio-economic hardships caused by the ongoing crisis since May 3, 2023, would lead to undue suffering and displacement at a time of already heightened vulnerability.
He appealed to the governor to pause any eviction process in Leimakhongmapal, Chonthaba until thorough verification is conducted, and to facilitate regularisation or allotment of the land occupied by the affected families under existing legal provisions.
The MP urged that in cases where displacement is unavoidable for public purposes, alternative homestead plots should be provided within the village or nearby areas.
He said timely and compassionate intervention would greatly help safeguard the rights and dignity of the indigenous residents.
