Under the Rainfeed Area Development (RADP) NMSA (2014-15), a training Programme on Integrated Farming System was held at Community Hall of Thoubal Achouba on Wednesday.
Soibam Ranbir Singh,Councillor,Ward No.8 Thoubal 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 statement said.
The statement further added that the ongoing effort to finalize Mapithel dam 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.
The ongoing move to complete Mapithel dam construction is amidst controversial and manipulative rehabilitation and resettlement process that has caused confusion, division and violation of affected indigenous communities’ rights. 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.
CCDD urged the Government of Manipur to stop Mapithel dam construction till violations and all rehabilitation process acceptable to all affected communities is fully ensured.
“All militarization process that support Mapithel dam construction should halt immediately.
“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 statement further said.
