Imphal – Irate Nagas today resolved to oppose any projects in their areas that breach the community’s traditional laws and customs.

The declaration was taken under the aegis of the United Naga Council (UNC) after the State Government blocked a group of Nagas leaders at Chadong village in Ukhrul district from proceeding towards the construction site of the controversial Mapithel dam.

Against resuming construction of the dam, the Naga protesters were supposed to hold a peaceful and democratic protest there.

The dam construction undermines the concrete policy of resettlement and future survival of the affected villages and violates National and international laws, they said.

To block the protestors from moving towards the dam site, the district administration also clamped prohibitory orders under section 144 CrPC at the project areas.

Denouncing the Government’s attitude, the protesters, besides announcing the declaration, also burnt the effigy of Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh in front of a large number of police, who blocked them.

“We will oppose any projects taken up in our areas in “violation of Naga traditional laws and customs,” said the declaration.

“Naga people welcome development but we will oppose any oppressive policies or programmes begin taken up without free and prior informed consent in Naga areas,” said the declaration read out by UNC president Gaidon Kamei.

Stating that it was their legitimate rights to defend their history and ancestral homestead and rights of the people, the declaration also demanded that the blocked water bodies be released.

The declaration also renewed the UNC’s growing demand for an Alternative Arrangement for the Nagas in Manipur outside the State Government pending the Indo-Naga political settlement.

Mapithel dam affected villagers demanded a stop to construction of the project and other related works immediately until an amicable solution with them is inked.

On January 27, the dam affected people organized a public meeting at Chadong village in protest against the Government’s move to evict them by blocking the Thoubal river and deploying a large number of State forces there.

Various Anti-dam lobbyists contended that construction of Mapithel dam , the erstwhile Thoubal river valley multipurpose project began in 1978 without free, prior and informed consent of the affected villagers in both the project’s upstream and downstream areas.

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CCDD wants fresh work at Mapithel Dam stopped till rehabilitation issues settled to everybody`s satisfaction

Imphal Free Press – kanglaonline.com/2015/01/ccdd-wants-fresh-work-at-mapithel-dam-stopped-till-rehabilitation-issues-settled-to-everybodys-satisfaction/

14 January 2015

IMPHAL The Citizens Concern for Dams and Development (CCDD) expressed strong condemnation at the ongoing efforts of the Government of Manipur to complete construction of Mapithel Dam of the Thoubal Multipurpose Hydroelectric Project from 10 January 2015 by filling up the portion of dam left for diverting Thoubal River to facilitate dam construction works.

In a press release the CCDD said the move will lead to direct submergence of agriculture land, grazing ground, forest areas of Chadong and other villages, and threaten affected indigenous peoples’ survival and rights. Entire Chadong Village will be submerged and other villages along Mapithel Range will be affected.

It said the CCDD also seriously considered the deployment and resents reliance on security forces for dam completion works by the Irrigation and Flood Control Department as a clear undemocratic, anti people and anti development process.

This is a direct threat and intimidation to the safety of affected villagers and confirms the undemocratic nature of pursuing development projects in Manipur, the release further said.

The ongoing construction is despite the fact that the National Green Tribunal of the Supreme Court is still considering the violation of Forest Rights under the Forest Conservation Act, 1980 and the Forest Rights Act, 2006. In clear procedural violations, the Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF), Government of India accorded final Stage II Forest Clearance for Mapithel Dam only on 31st December 2013 after more than thirty years of project approval in 1980 without conducting any site visits into affected areas, which is a serious violation, it said.

The fresh construction work is amidst controversial and manipulative rehabilitation and resettlement process that has caused confusion, division and violation of affected indigenous communities’ rights, it said adding the Rehabilitation and Resettlement is being carried out in a piecemeal and divisive approach.

Beginning from multiple violations of the 1993 Terms of Agreement for Rehabilitation with affected communities, the Government of Manipur failed to conduct a holistic impact assessment as sought by communities under the Expert Review Committee of 2008. The construction of Mapithel Dam is still fraught with the absence of a detailed impact assessment on communities with their rightful participation, especially impacts on forest land and other livelihood sources and further down in the downstream portion of Thoubal River, the release said.

The CCDD urged upon the Government of Manipur to stop Mapithel Dam construction till all rehabilitation process acceptable to all affected communities is fully ensured. All militarization process that support Mapithel Dam construction should halt immediately, it said.

There should be no commissioning of Mapithel dam until the `free prior informed consent` of the affected communities is taken with. The Mapithel dam construction should fully comply with the recommendations of the World Commission on Dams, 2000 and the provisions of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, 2007, the CCDD’s release said.