Thanga Gram Panchayat questioned livelihood of fisherfolks

Imphla, Aug. 4: The Thanga Development Committee strongly condemned the violent police action against the peaceful protest by fish vendors of Thanga Ething against the eviction orders of their sheds causing serious injury to a number of people. Alleging the state security forces of not maintaining procedures for dispersing crowds, a press release of the Committee demanded a judicial inquiry into the excessive police action on August 3 at Sendra foothill in which 8 persons were wounded, three of them seriously in tear-gas firing. It may be recalled that the confrontation started when an eviction drive was carried out on the order of the SDO Moirang at a piece of reclaimed land on which a fish market is being developed and maintained by the locals of Thanga at the foothill of Sendra for their livelihood. Claiming the contested area to be under the jurisdiction of Thanga Gram Panchayat and outside the jurisdiction of Notified area of Moirang Municipal Council, members of Thanga Gram Panchayat alleged that the plan to develop a parking at the spot is at the behest of Corporate House at Classic Sendra and at the cost of fishermen and women, the release questioned the fate of the poor fish vendors as also the authority of Moirang Municipality Council to undertake activities outside its jurisdiction.