IT News
Imphal, Dec 7
All Tribal Rights Protection Forum Manipur (ATRPFM) has imposed indefinite bandh on all National Highways and tribal areas of Manipur from December 16.
A statement of the ATRPFM , signed by its general Secretary James Haokip said that the indefinite bandh is being imposed after the state government has failed to address the ultimatum served by the ATRPFM and All Tribal Chief Forum Manipur (ATCFM).
The demand by the ATRPFM are –
1. Bifurcation / Recognition of new villages – All matters relating to the creation / recognition of new villages or bifurcation of a village in hill areas of Manipur were done by TA & and Hills, Govt. of Manipur since the beginning. However, the same were allocated to Revenue Department by an Office Memorandum (OM) dated 08.06.2008 issued by Principal Secretary (Revenue) under Para No. 9 and 30 of the Business of the Government of Manipur (Allocation) Rules, 2009 which is illegal. The said OM is illegal on the ground that MLR & LR Act, 1960 is not extended in the Hill Areas of the State as per Section 1(2) of the said Act. And as mandated under Article 371C of the Indian Constitution, the Governor is to submit Annual Report prepared by the TA&Hills, Manipur to the President of India. Hence, the State Government should re-allocated all the matters relating to the creation / recognition of new villages or bifurcation of a village in hill areas of Manipur in accordance with law.
2. Funds and Pension for ADCs – Grant-in-aid for ADCs has paralysed their functioning and ADC Members do not enjoy pension. Hence, we demand direct funding to ADCs instead of grant-in-aid and also to revise of honorarium to Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Executive Members and ADC Members.
3. Doubling of district jurisdictions – There are many villages where they are covered by two or more jurisdictions of districts therby causing confusion and hardship among the innocent general public. Hence, inter-district boundaries i.e. doubling of villages in both the hills and valley district jurisdictions in the past Census records must be corrected in the coming Census 2021.
4. Inclusion in the Census – Many Tribal villages were found missing from the Census list of 2011 and Socio-Economic & Caste Census which deprived them from availing welfare schemes. Hence, we demand all villages should be included in the coming 2021 Census as well as in the current 7th Socio-Economic & Caste Census 2019.
5. Inclusion of VA Members in warrant of precedence – The Village Chiefs/Ex-Officio Chairmen are heads of the Village Authorities and all the members of Village Authorities in the hill areas are elected members under the Village Authorities Act, 1956. Hence, they should be included in the warrant of precedence.
6. Illegal Eviction of tribal people by Forest Department – Right to shelter is a fundamental right under Article 21 of the Constitution and also right on land of tribal people and other traditional forest dwellers are well recognised by the Forest Rights Act, 2006 as well as under International Conventions/Instruments. Therefore, the Forest Department shall have no right to evict the tribal people from their residence/villages in contravention of the above-mentioned provisions.
and 7. Percentage of reservation in proportion to population – It is a settled law and constitutional intention that percentage of reservation in educational institutions and public employment shall be in proportion with the population of different categories so that equal representation of all categories is maintained as far as that is practicable. The population of Scheduled Tribes constitutes 35.1% of the total population as per Census 2011. It was 31% in Census 2001. There has thus been an increased of 0.9 %. Accordingly, the Manipur Rservation of Vacancies in Posts and Services for SCs and STs Rules, 2011 be amended and give reservation in proportion with population in the interest of equal representation in all areas.
