IT News
Imphal, April 21:
In a heartfelt plea for survival, dignity, and a hopeful return home, a delegation representing over 2,000 internally displaced Meitei families from Churachandpur district submitted a memorandum to Manipur Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla and Chief Secretary Prasant Kumar Singh, urging urgent action for their rehabilitation and welfare.
The delegation, under the banner of the Churachandpur Meitei United Committee (CMUC)—an umbrella body of five civil society organisations—outlined four key demands following a poignant meeting held on April 13 at Mangolnganbi College in Ningthoukhong. With the ethnic conflict now nearing its two-year mark, the community says the time for promises has long passed; now is the time for compassion, coordination, and concrete action.
Speaking to reporters after the submission of the memorandum, Naba Ningthoujam of the Churachandpur Meitei Ethnic Clash Victim Committee painted a grim picture of life in limbo for the displaced. “Two years is not a short time to live without a home, without security, without direction,” he said. “Every family uprooted from Churachandpur deserves not just food and shelter, but the right to rebuild their lives.”
At the heart of the delegation’s appeal is the request for livelihood support through government employment programs, aligned with the existing skillsets of the displaced. “We are not asking for charity,” Ningthoujam said, his voice steady. “We are asking for opportunities—jobs that match the skills of our people, so they can stand on their own feet again.”
Equally urgent is the call for land—just 0.04 acres per family—to build temporary shelters in Phougakchao Ikhai, Bishnupur district. If state-owned land is unavailable, the committee urged the government to purchase 80 acres of private land for the purpose. “We are not asking for palaces. We are asking for a patch of earth to call our own, even temporarily, until we can return to Churachandpur with dignity,” he said.
The delegation expressed appreciation for the Chief Secretary’s receptive and patient hearing during the meeting, calling it a glimmer of hope in what has been a long and painful journey. “He listened, he understood—and now, we hope he will act,” said Ningthoujam.
The CMUC also plans to submit the same memorandum to the Deputy Commissioner of Bishnupur district and the MLA of Kumbi Assembly Constituency, in a continued effort to bring voices from the margins to the forefront of governance.
For the families who have lost everything but hope, this appeal is more than a political document—it is a cry for belonging, for stability, and for a future that has long seemed out of reach.
