NKL sets boundary record straight

By Our Staff Reporter
IMPHAL, Jun 17: The Ngamkhei Kanba Lup (NKL), Jiribam has categorically stated that Jiribam district does not clamour any piece of land belonging to other districts but Jiribam villages/lands usurped by other districts should be returned to Jiribam.
A statement issued by the NKL, Jiribam pointed out that the district boundaries of Jiribam and Tamenglong were jointly demarcated under an order issued by the State Government in 2014 by the Tamenglong DC, the Jiribam ADC, other authorities concerned and villagers.
According to a Manipur gazette order issued by the Chief Commissioner Baleshor Prasad on November 12, 1969, there were 102 villages out of which 56 were revenue villages.
Out of these revenue villages, Phaitol Kamranga Khashi village (Village no 22) and Tatbung/Moktokhong village (village no 38) were forcibly merged into Tamenglong district, the NKL Jiribam asserted.
It then urged the Government to bring back these two villages under Jiribam district.
In the meantime, representatives of some Tamenglong based organisations came to Leingangpokpi on June 10 and claimed that certain areas belonging to Tousem sub division have been encroached upon by Jiribam.  The claim was both surprising and hilarious, it remarked.
Their claim only exposed that they did not study Government land records and related documents properly.
Keiphundai village of Tamenglong district and Leingangpokpi village of Jiribam district are quite apart and there are many villages between them.
But Keiphundai village was written as Keiphundai (Leingangpokpi) as if both Keiphundai and Leingangpokpi are names of just one place/village.         
Villagers of Tatbung/Moktokhong, Tousem sub-division have been using house numbers of Tatbung village at Leingangpokpi area of Jiribam district after they bought the plots they are currently occupying from land owners of Leingangpokpi and there are enough records of this transfer of lands, it claimed. 
It went on to ask if valley areas bought by tribal people should be merged with the adjoining hill districts by distorting the original boundaries of valley districts.
Jiribam district is home to different communities and they have been living together in harmony for many decades but the people of Jiribam district would never tolerate any attempt to distort its boundary and merge any part of it with other districts, it asserted.
“Yet, people of Jiribam district respect people of other districts and always support the idea of peaceful co-existence”, it added.