PRESS RELEASE
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- By RNSO and RNYOM
Apply Hill Areas Land Ownership Law.
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IT has been 50 years since Hon'ble President of our Indian Republic V.V. Giri on 20th June,1972 signed the Manipur Legislative Assembly (Hill Areas Committee) Order, 1972 and 14th Chairman (HAC) assumed Office. The sacred and clear law as envisaged in the Presidential Order to safeguard the interest of the hill areas of Manipur including the land ownership drawn from ancient time remain mostly on papers only for reasons best known to the hill MLAs and the Government of Manipur. The Hon'ble Governor of Manipur is the link to safeguard the law enshrined under Article 371C and to report to the President of India if the Hill Areas Committee (HAC) was proactive and to appraise regarding the administration of the hill areas of Manipur.
Now, it is high time, the HAC in exercise of the power and responsibility assigned by the Constitution, raise the issue while the Hon'ble Governor in turn communicates the same to the Hon'ble President of India. The law enshrines in Article 371(C) of Indian Constitution providing special provision for the legislation and administration of the hill areas of Manipur in the form of HAC has become vulnerable to be sabotaged even from the side of the Head of the State Government if not taken care of in time. The Hon'ble Chief Minister, N.Biren Singh made an unfortunate remark recently on the hills as, "belonging to Mother Nature and not to any particular community". If the Chief Minister is serious, his statement is bereft of logic and venomous as for our part, we acknowledge the land ownership rights of the valley people on Imphal/Manipur Valley as they inherit from "Mother Nature" created by God.
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The shrinking state of HAC and servitude countenance of the hill MLAs have brought the hill areas into such unfortunate situation where their very survival and identity are being threatened. The Chairman of HAC during the last half century time were silent on every issue affecting the hill peoples. The 20 members of HAC both ruling and opposition together opted to stand aloof when the people, the CSOs cried out from time to time for justice. The hill people need not send up representatives anymore to the Assembly if subservient elements remained unchecked. The indigenous hill peoples from ancient time owned lands and administered well without outside interferences. The Britishers knew this fact honestly and put a separate mode of administration to safeguard the interest of the hill people, took cognizance of the freedom of self-determination and the indigenous tradition of land ownership and land holding system. The Britishers knew that the hill people ought to enjoy their habitual way of life lest any alien rule of law strange to the traditional way of life should harm their means of sustenance and survival. Over and above this, it is a recognised established truth known by everyone that the traditional village boundaries of the hill areas have been maintained and safeguarded throughout the centuries and even the erstwhile Maharajas of Manipur deeply respected the rightful traditional boundaries of the indigenous hill people. It is learnt through history and elders that, sometimes the Maharajas used to carry out certain expeditions or sporadic raids in some hill pockets to force the villagers to pay tributes and forced labour who were ill-equipped to challenge the Maharajas and his men physically those days. However, the Maharajas never tried to encroach in hill areas for permanent settlement having deep sense of respect to the rightful owners of the land. This is a historical fact which nobody can deny.
It is to state that only the "Autonomous Districts" status with Sixth Schedule or any other mode of genuine autonomous separate hill administration with specific hill land law can safeguard the land and resources of hill people. The land ownership as birth right can only sustain the hill tribes. Frequent attacks on the hills areas and land rights inherited as God given land ownership can no longer be tolerated. The dishonest policy of the State leaders facilitated by vulnerable hills MLAs as seen in Manipur Hill Areas District Council Act, 1971 (amended from time to time), clearly reflected the discrimination despite the just law provided by Article 371(C) of the Indian Constitution. The name given outside the actual Act as "Autonomous District Council" was a mockery. And yet again the Manipur Hill Areas Autonomous District Councils Act, 2000 was abruptly repealed in 2006 and the 3rd Amendment Act, 2008 omitted the term " Autonomous" and made it sure that the power and functions of the sham ADCs are even degraded further than the Act of 1971. The HAC and the right thinking leaders were helpless spectators to these hill tribals’ rights taken away systematically.
The Manipur Legislative Assembly in 1989 passed a Resolution in the disguised Bill named, "Money Bill " which incorporated the hill areas under the ambit of MLR & LR Act, 1960 (Patta System). Only 2 MLAs(J.F.Rothangliana - KNA and Ngulkhohao - MRP) walked out to the well of the house in protest. The then, HAC Chairman, I.D. Dijuanang(HAC-15/11/1988-24/02/1995) wrote to the Governor (Burney) who did not sign that and thus, the bill failed through from becoming an Act. Only those three HAC members stood up for the hill people but the remaining members latter allowed the introduction of Patta System in the hill areas through the back door (against the Act meant for Valley alone).
We are strongly opposed to the State policy of violating the just laws and the sinister designs to disrobe the land ownership rights of the hill people. We argue the Governor, the Chief Minister, HAC Chairman and all the right thinking legislators to promptly; (i) apply the laws connected to land ownership of the hill people of Manipur, (ii) re-introduce the Manipur Hill Areas Autonomous District Council (Amendment) Bill, 2021.
The hill people have been thinking that Go To Hills slogan was launched by Honble CM, N. Biren Singh to bring healing touch to the long deprived hill people of Manipur but now many hill people begin to fear that under the shadow of such alluring slogan(s), the indigenous hill people may end up losing their lands under the disguise of Forest Reserved Areas and Forest Protected Areas, etc. since MLR and LR Acts cannot be bulldozed in hill areas. Has the State Government followed the provisions of Indian Forest Act, 1927 (amended from time to time) while declaring Reserved Forests and Protected Areas in the hill areas of Manipur? If so, produce them in white paper. If the State Government claims to have followed them, show us that the provisions enshrined in Article 3 and Article 4 Clause 1, Sub-Clauses a, b & c given in Chapter II and Article 29, Clauses 1, 2, & 3 elaborated in Chapter IV of the Indian Forest Act, 1927 or any other relevant provisions of the Act have been followed in letter and spirit. If the State Government imposes anti-hill people policies, love and harmony that have been generated between the hill and valley people in the last few years might go in vain and this has the potential to jeopardize the peaceful co-existence of the indigenous people of the State.
We would like to remind the Government of Manipur that the hill people will not remain as mute spectators if their fundamental rights and identities are being threatened.
Joint Press Release by;
Sd/-
Gaan Rongmei
Vice President
RNSO
Ad/-
Ripuilan Pamei
Secretary General
RNYOM
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