Govt again reminded of Dec deadline
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By Our Staff Reporter
IMPHAL, Dec 23: While reminding the Government that it has only 8 days left to effect resettlement as assured, the Joint Representatives of Internally Displaced Persons has expressed "grave concerns" over the State administration stopping a COCOMI team from visiting Serou village today.
In its daily reminder of assurance for resettlement to Governor Ajay Kumar, the Joint Representatives of IDPs said the team of Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI) led by its convenor was on their way to Serou when they were "held back" by the State administration.
The team was supposed to take a ground assessment at Serou village, where IDPs are proposed to be resettled, it said.
The visit was intended purely to assess ground realities, engage with affected families, and identify grievances and logistic requirements essential for a peaceful and sustainable resettlement. The obstruction to such a facilitative and fact-finding visit raises grave concerns, it said.
"Ground assessment is indispensable for addressing security gaps, infrastructure deficiencies, and legitimate civilian apprehensions. Preventing this process not only delays resolution but also creates a serious and disturbing question as to whether the State has effectively yielded space to armed terrorist groups seeking to disrupt the peace process, thereby rendering itself unable or unwilling to secure IDPs and law-abiding civilians who wish to return to their homes and restore normalcy through resettlement," said the Joint Representatives of IDPs.
"This perception, if allowed to persist, risks eroding public confidence in the authority of the State and emboldening anti-peace elements whose objective is to obstruct reconciliation and rehabilitation," it added.
On the Government's assurance for resettlement by December 2025, the Joint Representatives of IDPs said, the administration has not yet communicated or implemented a clear, written, and timebound resettlement plan covering village-wise rehabilitation, security deployment, restoration of basic amenities, and livelihood support.
The Government has only 8 days left to fulfil its assurance. The remaining eight days are therefore critical and must be utilised to:
Issue a definite and transparent resettlement schedule; Ensure unhindered ground assessments by legitimate stakeholders; Reassert the authority of the State by guaranteeing adequate security for safe and voluntary return; Restore essential civic infrastructure in affected villages; and designate accountable nodal officers for implementation and monitoring, said the Joint Representatives of IDPs.
Resettlement with dignity, safety, and justice is not discretionary, it is a Constitutional and humanitarian obligation, it added.
IMPHAL, Dec 23: While reminding the Government that it has only 8 days left to effect resettlement as assured, the Joint Representatives of Internally Displaced Persons has expressed "grave concerns" over the State administration stopping a COCOMI team from visiting Serou village today.
In its daily reminder of assurance for resettlement to Governor Ajay Kumar, the Joint Representatives of IDPs said the team of Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI) led by its convenor was on their way to Serou when they were "held back" by the State administration.
The team was supposed to take a ground assessment at Serou village, where IDPs are proposed to be resettled, it said.
The visit was intended purely to assess ground realities, engage with affected families, and identify grievances and logistic requirements essential for a peaceful and sustainable resettlement. The obstruction to such a facilitative and fact-finding visit raises grave concerns, it said.
"Ground assessment is indispensable for addressing security gaps, infrastructure deficiencies, and legitimate civilian apprehensions. Preventing this process not only delays resolution but also creates a serious and disturbing question as to whether the State has effectively yielded space to armed terrorist groups seeking to disrupt the peace process, thereby rendering itself unable or unwilling to secure IDPs and law-abiding civilians who wish to return to their homes and restore normalcy through resettlement," said the Joint Representatives of IDPs.
"This perception, if allowed to persist, risks eroding public confidence in the authority of the State and emboldening anti-peace elements whose objective is to obstruct reconciliation and rehabilitation," it added.
On the Government's assurance for resettlement by December 2025, the Joint Representatives of IDPs said, the administration has not yet communicated or implemented a clear, written, and timebound resettlement plan covering village-wise rehabilitation, security deployment, restoration of basic amenities, and livelihood support.
The Government has only 8 days left to fulfil its assurance. The remaining eight days are therefore critical and must be utilised to:
Issue a definite and transparent resettlement schedule; Ensure unhindered ground assessments by legitimate stakeholders; Reassert the authority of the State by guaranteeing adequate security for safe and voluntary return; Restore essential civic infrastructure in affected villages; and designate accountable nodal officers for implementation and monitoring, said the Joint Representatives of IDPs.
Resettlement with dignity, safety, and justice is not discretionary, it is a Constitutional and humanitarian obligation, it added.