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HomeIndiaEx-Manipur CM Biren Singh hails Himanta for driving out encroachers, says he...

Ex-Manipur CM Biren Singh hails Himanta for driving out encroachers, says he too faced protests

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Imphal, Jul 16 (PTI) Ex-Manipur chief minister N Biren Singh on Wednesday lauded Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma for driving out encroachers, and said that a section of government officials help people settle on forest land in both states.

Singh, who resigned in February as the chief minister of the ethnic strife-torn state, said he too had taken action against illegal settlers and faced protests, much like Sarma.

“Hon’ble Assam Chief Minister, Shri @himantabiswaji, has exposed a significant issue involving a senior forest officer, who allegedly enabled settlements by Bangladeshi illegal immigrants leading to the encroachment of over 5,000 acres of forest land,” Singh said in a post on X.

At a press conference in Guwahati on Tuesday, Sarma had alleged that a former state officer had helped a number of people settle illegally on forest land, and that person is now a lawyer representing the same encroachers who have been evicted by the government.

In the post, Singh said that despite facing a strong challenge against the eviction drives, the CM of the neighbouring state remained firm in his government’s resolve to protect Assam’s forests, culture, and identity.

“Manipur faced the exact same issue. As many as 31 villages were illegally recognised within a Protected Forest area in Churachandpur by an SDC (sub-deputy collector) in 1988,” the former CM said.

In 2008, five villages were illegally recognised in areas under the jurisdiction of the Small Town Committee in Moreh by Commissioner PC Lawmkunga and the Small Town Committee itself was dissolved, he said.

Noting that according to rules, the revenue department can create districts, subdivisions, tehsils and villages, and alter boundaries, Singh said adding that violating these rules, officials of the Forest Department, SDC and SDO were giving recognition to villages.

“These illegal and misuse of power sowed the seeds of the crisis in Manipur,” he said.

At least 260 people were killed and thousands rendered homeless in ethnic violence between the Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities in Manipur since May 2023.

Officials said that in 2022 and 2023, Singh had carried out massive eviction drives against encroachments on reserve forest areas and government lands in both hill and valley districts. The drive triggered widespread organised agitation by members of Kuki and Zo communities. PTI COR NN

This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.

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