The Union said, requisite infrastructures like tourist lodge, motor-boats and cafeteria should be catered to the dam so as to realise their demand. The district should be adopted as a model district in this regards, it said.
Inclusion of the district in the Special Economic Zone (SEZ), and opening of Sports Authority of India (SAI) centre are the other demands that have been put forth to Sonia Gandhi.
~ TSE
The JAC soon after coming back to Churachandpur, convent a meeting have decided to incest full amount of payment to the contractor from the government. During the meeting the JAC members present questioned what happened to the remaining 70 percent of the money sanction from the government while expressing their surprise.
The JAC leader while speaking to correspondent IFP said that they were concerned about the hold district and claiming that they were protecting the interest of tribal feels concern about the existent of other contractor forum which they accuses the government is odd orchespraping to excess due to they can play a divide and rule among the contractors.
During the meeting with minister the JAC leader said they were shown cheque list of spillway.
The JAC further said from the list they come to know that the cabinet sanctioned rupees one crore each for all component but not even half of the money sanction were not written in the cheque.
They were also protesting the concern mminister cheque list as had been shown to them on the ground that some of the cheque were term as doubling and while terming it as an attempt to deduce percentage by the department concern.
As A result the JAC have decided during the meeting today to take up drastic action from tomorrow against the Khuga Dam Authorities till the Khuga Dam is made ready fit to be able to give out or the promise benefit to the people from all component.
- IFP
Luzinho Falerio, the Congress Party’s Manipur in-charge was greeted, immediately on his arrival, with a flawless briefing of an IFC official who openly reveal-ed that there was nothing much to talk about as far as the power-house is concer-ned, and sought to over- look the components as something that solely depend on surplus (water) resources.
Sixty percent of the dam’s water resources are meant for drinking water while the remaining 40 percent for irrigation, the official said while explaining that the intended 1.5 megawatt of power to be generated was meant to be realized only on monsoon, the season that usually sees surplus resources.
Until then everything seemed to unfold perfectly, as the Government had anticipated, but the event took a U-turn the moment Luzinho Falerio began to move towards the dam’s gate No. 3 from the IFCD makeshift as requested by the official who briefed him, to open the gate and see for himself that it works.
Some JAC members of Khuga Dam who have managed their way to the guest immediately handed over a memorandum and presented a shawl with an assertion that ‘the local population is against inauguration of the dam until and unless all the components (purposes) of the dam were fulfilled (realized).’
Falerio, who appeared to be already aware of the JAC, tried to calm them down with the assurance that, ‘all pending bills has to be paid.’
As the JAC members re-iterated their stand of com- pleting the dam’s component before the inaugura- tion, he began enquiring bit-by-bit only to expose the bugs besieging the project, as the accompanying officials passed the blame to one another.
When the AICC representative enquired about reservoirs which the JAC alleged was still empty, PHE Minister responded, ‘our supply (power) is very low now, we need at least 8 hours of power, now we have only 3 available, so we would like to request our honorable Minister to connect this Singngat line so that…’
By then, the Power Minister who was just standing adjacent to the PHE Minister shot back, ‘we have a separate line for which we asked the water supply department to deposit the required amount, they have not submitted so we could not complete.
Without giving money how can we start?’
Sensing the situation, Faleiro quipped, ‘it is just like the left hand giving to the right and vice-versa’ as he moved on to irrigation.
The IFC Minister immediately contested the JAC claim of the canal not functioning even for a kilometre.
‘Let us go and see the progress of the work instead of arguing here,’ he said but when the JAC pointed to a photograph of the canal which they have attached in their memorandum, he suggested, ‘we are calling them at the Chief Minister’s office tomorrow, let us discuss together there.’
Upon Faleiro further enquiring on how many people would be benefited by the dam, the argument over the canal again picked up with the concern Minister claiming that he himself had visited the site last year and saw water being provided upto 14 kms.
The JAC denied this and alleged that it was not the case now.
When one of them asked about the western canal, the Minister said , ‘upto 6.5’ only to get a response to complete it all.
As the JAC and the Government Minister were apparently at loggerheads, the AICC representative invited the JAC for talks at Imphal and proceeded to personally open the radial gate.
He had a short glimpse of the water gushing down spillway and headed back to Imphal with no more stops.
Just as he entered his car he responded to the query of reporters with, ‘I saw the water flowing, I don’t know whether they are of any benefit to the people or not.’
- TSE
Falerio arrived here yesterday at 9.20 am by a flight from New Delhi. As soon as he arrived, Falerio held meetings with Chief Minister, O Ibobi and MPCC chief Gaikhangam. He left for New Delhi today.
He visited the three market sheds with Chief Minister and MPCC president yesterday afternoon. Before this, he inspected the Khuga Dam in Churachandpur. He also inspected the designate site for atribal market at New Chekon, the site for construction of a hostel for minority girls, shopping complex inside the Imphal Congress Bhavan and the progress of the installation work of a statue of Mahatma Gandhi at the same bhavan.
At 4 pm yesterday, he held a meeting with office bearers of the MPCC. The Chief Minister also participated in the meeting. The meeting prominently reviewed developmental works taken up under SPF government in the state and future plans of the government.
He also attended a meeting of the Congress Coordination Committee held at the Chief Minister’s bungalow later in the evening at 5.30 pm. Falerio presided over the meeting. It was followed by another round of meeting of the Congress Legislature Party (CLP).The meetings also tentatively fixed the date for the visit of Sonia Gandhi on December 6, a source close to the party said. - Hueiyenlanpao
New Delhi: The beautification drives of Khuga Dam in order to possibly make it ready for inauguration by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on October 26 has propelled the Joint Action Committee to fly to New Delhi recently to meet political leaders.
The Committee said it will prevent the inauguration of Khuga dam till its demands are fully completed and thereby satisfy the people of Churachandpur district in Manipur.
The three-member Joint Action Committee on Khuga Dam Project arrived in New Delhi on October 5. The team includes Rampana, Chairman (JAC), Lalpu Hangshing, Secretary (JAC), and Seipao Misao, Secretary (Kuki Inpi Churachandpur).
A Consultation Meeting on Khuga Dam was held at Mizoram House in Vasant Vihar on Tuesday. The Committee had a deliberate discussion with various social organisations, civil societies, student bodies, NGOs, etc. The three-member team is likely to discuss the matter with the General Secretary of All India Congress Committee Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday. The Committee was form on July 23, 2010.
The Khuga Dam Multipurpose Project is located at Mata village, about 10km away from Lamka town in Churachandpur. The construction of Khuga dam began in 1983 with initial sanctioned of Rs. 1.64 crores from the Planning Commission ofIndia. The State Government has already spent Rs. 350 crores in the project.
The proposed dam is expected to provide 1.5 Mega Watt of Hydro electric power, Water supply components of 50,00,000 gallons and Irrigation canal system covering 9575 hectares of CCA to create 15000 hec of annual irrigation potential in Churachandpur and Bishnupurdistrict.
Seipao Misao, Secretary of Kuki Innpi Churachandpur said, “Once the dam is inaugurated, the fate of our land is beyond imagination. The dam has been built with sub-standard materials and the constructions are mismanaged. Some of the portions developed cracks. So the dam won’t last many years. It will burst one day”.
According to Misao, there are numerous villages which could be devastated by the Khuga dam in future. “The dam has two main canals – Right Canal (Eastern side) and Left Canal (Western side). The Eastern Canal passes through Saipum, M. Simol, Vengnomphai, Misao Lhahvom, Mualsan, Mualpi, Mualkot, Sumtuhphai, Daijang, Ngurte, Tuikham, Thenmol, Tuibul, and Mualbem village while the Western Canal passes through Mata, Lhingshiphai, Nakhopai, Tualnuam, and Thingkangphai village. These villages are the dangerous areas. Besides, there are many villages which could be easily washed off by the waters of Khuga dam,” he added.
In 2005 December 14, the affected villagers protested against the government in which three protesters were shot dead and more than 25 injured during the indiscriminate firings of the police.
“Though Khuga dam is expected to generate 1.5 MW, but the Power House is now submerged by the water. The irrigation canal which is expected to irrigate 68 km of water only gives less than a kilometer now. Where is the truth propagated by the government?” said Rampana, Chairman, Joint Action Committee on Khuga Dam Project.
The Public Health & Engineering Department has constructed water reservoirs in Rengkai, New Lamka, Salem Veng and Thingkangphai. However reports say that not even a single drop of water is available in these reservoirs.
Manipur government has promised to provide compensation, re-settlement and re-habilitation to the affected areas, but none of these has been materialized so far. As re-habilitation policy, the government paid Rs. 3,000 per family instead of Rs. 30,000.
The Khuga Dam Local Contractor’s Association has also demanded the State Government to release the pending bill of Rs. 16.02 crores.
JAC on Khuga Dam Project Secretary Lalpu Hangshing said, “We cannot visit the site of Khuga dam and we are not allowed by the security personnel. Our fundamental rights are under the hands of the government”.
Expressing the negligence of the politicians, Rampana said: “We made several complaints and requests to the politicians, ministers and MLAs but all in vain. Some of them shot back us with ‘Silent is Golden’. We no longer trust the state so we came to Delhi”.
On Tuesday, leaders from All Tribal Students Union Manipur, Kuki Students Organisation, Zomi Students Federation, Hmar Students Association, Siamsinpawlpi (Paite Students Welfare Association), Sinlung Indigenous Peoples Human Rights Organisation, Zomi Human Rights Foundation, Delhi Hmar Welfare Association, Campaign for Peace & Democracy in Manipur and distinguished persons had expressed their supports for the cause of the affected people in Churachandpur.
The Sinlung Indigenous People Human Rights has recently protested against the proposed Tipaimukh dam on the river Barak in Manipur.
Khuga dam has displaced thousands of people who are now driven by poverty, hunger and homeless. The word ‘Dam’ has now became a nightmare for the tribals in Manipur.
Via: Mizoram Express
LAMKA, Aug 5: The JAC formed against the move for inauguration of the Khuga Multipurpose Project on the condition that the dam is fully completed and all pending bills are cleared to the contractors by the state government, has issued yet another press statement today in which it stated the government had not made any tangible progress so far though the move had been announced.
