Liangmai Naga Community demands NRC, blames Government for illegal influx from Mynamar

KalimNews, Imphal, 11 August 2023: Liangmai Naga Community residing in the Liangmai villages settled along the Koubru ranges of Kangpokpi, Senapati and Tamenglong have raised objection on the demand of separate Administration in Manipur and stated that such demand any community should not touch an inch of land of Liangmais in Manipur.

A delegation of Liangmai Naga Community met the N Biren Singh, Chief Minister of Manipur today and submitted a memorandum signed by R. Machundoubou, president of the Liangmai Naga Council. 

The delegation led by R. Machundoubou president of the Liangmai Naga Council also blamed the government of Manipur for illegal influx of people from Myanmar and confirmed that this has raised the Kuki population during the nineties and demanded for early implementation of National Register Citizens. 

It also raised objection in setting up of semi permanent relief camps for Kukis in the Liangmai lands. 

The submission stated that "there has been an abnormal growth of the Kuki population in the nineties onwards specially in the general area of Koubru Range. This abnormal growth could be attributed to many factors and one such unmistakable factor was uncontrolled influx of illegal immigration mainly from Myanmar (Burma) being facilitated for electoral gain in the last seventy years in the state. Today, due to the gross negligence of Manipur government and its machineries, the population of the illegal immigrants has overwhelmed the demographic landscape of the State especially heavy settlement in the well-defined area of the Liangmais. At this abnormal growth rate, the days are not far off when the indigenous people will be displaced and faced the status of refugee in their own land."

It added that to add on to the unprecedented growth of Kuki population/villages, the relocation/migration of displaced people along IT Road due to ongoing violence has caused unrest amongst the indigenous Liangmai population as the relocation may lead to encroachment on our land unless strict vigilance measures are implemented. The State government should maintain a detail record of the displaced people who have sought shelter in various relief camps and villages of IT- road and Koubru ranges under Kangpokpi Districts and ensure that 

the same figure should be returned to their respective villages/districts whenever normalcy returns. There should not be any permanent settlement of these displaced people in our area. As setting of relief camps in the area will give an easy access to establishment of new villages, the State government should implement a mechanism to check and curb such mushrooming of villages in the area.

Further the memorandum stated that it reiterated that the Liangmai villages settled along the Koubru ranges of Kangpokpi, Senapati and Tamenglong have well defined and distinctly demarcated village boundaries with one another which are clearly marked by permanent features such as hills, ridges, rivers, streams and other permanent landmarks. In Liangmai ancestral land there is no vacant land or no man's land rather every land, rivers, streams, valleys, falls, hillocks, etc. are with names and every land has its owner except the community land. Therefore, the demand for a separate Administration in Manipur by any community should not touched an inch of land of Liangmais in Manipur. 

Conclusively the submission proposed to the government that the ultimate solution, to ensure checks and balances over the unprecedented influx of illegal immigrants and also stop land encroachments, is the implementation of National Register of Citizens (NRC) so that only genuine citizens of Manipur/India co-exist harmoniously.