Written by Administrator
Monday, 05 November 2012 05:55
Rally against false verification process over Mapithel Dam Source: Hueiyen News Service, the 3 November 2012 http://e-pao.net/GP.asp?src=23..031112.nov12 Imphal, November 02 2012: Terming the verification process of the Mapithel Dam affected villagers of Chadong Village under Ukhrul district being carried out by a Joint Verification team led by Ukhrul DC as false and full of flaws, a protest rally was taken out at Chadong village today. Defying the CrPC-144 clamped in Chadong village, around 200 villagers gathered in front of Chadong Catholic Church and started the rally from there. As soon as the rally started, police tried to disperse the crowd and prevent them from carrying out the rally by using mock bombs and tear gas. In order to avoid any unwanted incident from happening, the protestors concluded their rally at the playground of Chadong Baptist Church itself. Speaking to media persons on the sideline of the rally, David Kashung, Village Authority member, observed that while trying to compensate the villagers whose houses have been submerged by the dam, the state government has caused distrust among the people of the village. Even some of the people who do not belong to the village and those women who have got married to other villages are applying for compensation disguising themselves as widow. The expectation of the villagers has been shattered by such discrepancies in the verification process. Ramthar Kashung, another protestor, informed that the Joint Verification team never asked for proof of identification during the verification process. He demanded that the ongoing verification process should be immediately halted and the compensation to the affected villagers should be given in accordance to the decision of the Expert Review Committee.
Last Updated on Monday, 05 November 2012 06:13
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India: Urgent Appeal to Stop Forceful Eviction and Involuntary Relocation of Villagers Affected by Mapithel Dam in Manipur

Written by Administrator
Monday, 05 November 2012 05:23
Incident: Threats of forceful eviction and involuntary relocation of villages of Riha, Thawai, Lamlai Khullen, Chadong along the Thoubal River in Ukhrul District, Manipur by the Mapithel Dam of Thoubal Multipurpose Hydroelectric Project Perpetrator: Government of Manipur & Government of India Victims: Affected Villagers of Mapithel Dam along the Thoubal River in Mapithel Range and Valley Date and Month: October 2012 Source of Urgent Appeal: Mapithel Dam Affected Villagers Organization and the Committee on the Protection of Natural Resources in Manipur, Keisampat, Imphal Manipur Event Description: The Government of Manipur is threatening to forcefully evict and relocate the villagers of Chadong, Lamlai Khullen in Ukhrul District of Manipur by the ongoing Mapithel Dam construction of the Thoubal Multipurpose Hydroelectric Project using law enforcing agencies of Manipur and Indian military and silencing the voices of affected communities along the Thoubal River and Mapithel Range for demanding holistic impact assessment due to Mapithel dam, just rehabilitation and resettlement, full review of Mapithel dam construction and resumption of the Expert Review Committee formed on 18 January 2008. The controversial Mapithel Dam is being built over Thoubal River at the tri junction of Ukhrul, Senapati and Imphal East Districts of Manipur in India’s North East. Send an appeal letter now. Click here.
Last Updated on Monday, 05 November 2012 05:52
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Mapithel Dam and Endless Violations

Written by Jiten Yumnam
Tuesday, 30 October 2012 02:59
Serious turn of events unfolds for the controversial Mapithel Dam construction process along the Thoubal River in Manipur in India’s North East. The Government of Manipur issued an order on 28th September, 2012 constituting a “Joint Verification Team”, comprising officials drawn from Irrigation and Flood Control Department, Deputy Commissioner of Ukhrul District and Tribal Department of the Government of Manipur, to identify families affected by ongoing Mapithel Dam construction at Chadong and Lamlai Khunou villages in Ukhrul District. The mandates of the Joint Verification team is very limited as it intends only to verify the number of number of families, landless agriculture workers family and number of graves to be exhumed for reburial. Strong objections were already registered by the Mapithel Dam Affected Villagers Organization (MDAVO) which for long, calls for recognition of rights of communities affected by Mapithel Dam. MDAVO reasons the Governors order arbitrates the Expert Review Committee process constituted on 18 January 2008 to assess the impacts of Mapithel dam, including the rehabilitation and resettlement issues for affected communities. The Expert Review Committee (ERC), with members drawn from representatives of affected communities, Agriculture department, Irrigation and Flood Control Department, Forest Department of the Government of Manipur etc, already had seven rounds of meetings till 11 February 2011. However, the Commissioner, Irrigation and Flood Control Department (IFCD), also the Chairman of Expert Review Committee, issued an office memorandum on 13 June 2011 bypassing the Government’s ERC formation order of 18 January 2008.
Last Updated on Tuesday, 30 October 2012 03:15
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A case study on the Compensation Demand of the ADB implemented KJDRP affected people of Bangladesh

Written by S. Jahangir Hasan Masum & M M Mahbub Hasan
Monday, 29 October 2012 04:13
The Khulna-Jessore Drainage Rehabilitation Project (KJDRP) is a classic example of how International Financial Institutions (IFIs) in the name of poverty reduction, increased production and employment creation jeopardized the sustainability of natural resources and endangered the livelihood of the millions of people who are dependent upon those resources. The KJDRP had failed to address the fundamental problems of water logging, agricultural development, to facilitate navigation of rivers as the plan was faulty as that of WAPDA (Water and power Development Authority) in early 1960s. It has created more problems rather than solution. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) had designed and funded[1] the Khulna-Jessore Drainage Rehabilitation Project¹ (KJDRP) to support the Government’s efforts to alleviating poverty by reducing drainage congestion. Prior to KJDRP, ADB also funded the Khulna Coastal Embankment Rehabilitation Project, which was implemented between 1986 and 1993[2]. The KJDRP was approved by the ADB on 14 December 1993 and it was formally incepted in 1994 & ended in 2004. The total cost of the project was $44.9 million or 72% of the appraisal estimate of $62 million. ADB contributed $32.6 million (70%) of the actual project costs. The main objective of the project was to reduce poverty from 75% to 60% of the population in the project area, and to produce additional agricultural products of 98,263 tons including 63,000 tons of food grains, mainly rice per year by increasing cropping intensity from 137% to 157%. The Project was spread over eight upazillas (Sub-districts) of the districts of Khulna (Batiaghata, Daulatpur, Dumuria, and Phultala) and Jessore (Abhaynagar, Keshabpur, Jessore Sadar, and Manirampur) covering about 100,600 hectares (ha). One of the major objectives of the KJDRP was to ensure incremental increase in food grain production of 63,000 tons/year. Read the whole case study here. [1] Asian Development Bank (ADB), 1993. Report and Recommendation of the President to the Board of Directors on a Proposed Loan to the People’s Republic of Bangladesh for the Khulna-Jessore Drainage Rehabilitation Project. Manila (Loan 1289-BAN [SF] of $61.7 million, approved on 14 December 1993 and closed on 18 March 2002) [2] ADB.1986. Appraisal of the Khulna Coastal Embankment Rehabilitation Project. Manila. (Loan 819-BAN[SF] of $16.9 million, approved on 11 December 1986 and closed on 31 December 1993.
Last Updated on Tuesday, 30 October 2012 03:38

Loktak mismanagement & peoples’ rights

Written by Jiten Yumnam
Monday, 29 October 2012 03:49
Often referred to as the mirror of Manipur, the Loktak Lake continues to be embroiled in endless controversies. One will not disagree that the Loktak Lake, a primary source of livelihood, cultures and traditions of different indigenous peoples of Manipur, is currently afflicted with deep mayhem. On 12 October 2012, the Tehelka, a New Delhi based magazine, exposed how the Government of Manipur indulged itself in a ridiculous mismanagement of Loktak Lake colluding with several corporate bodies in a “phumdi” clean up contract worth Rs. 224 Crores. Tehelka questions how a company, K-Pro Infra Works Limited with only 10 lakhs as paid up capital and existing only on paper with none living in the residential flat claimed to be its office in New Delhi received the multi-crore work order for “Management of Phumdis in the Loktak Lake”. K-Pro also turned out to be a brand new corporate body formed only on 22 June 2009 much after the tender notice of Loktak Development Authority (LDA) on 4 June 2009. One wonders how an absolutely unknown company, who have no work experience, manage to get a multi-Crore project within days of its formation. Despite K-pro the lone bidder, it received the work contracts in violation of the Central Public Works Department norms, which requires at least three bidders for such tenders.
Last Updated on Tuesday, 30 October 2012 03:28
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Media coverage on the review of the Loktak Hydroelectric Power Project in Manipur

Written by Administrator
Tuesday, 23 October 2012 02:46
Civil bodies call for CBI probe into Loktak deal The Peoples Chronicle, 22 October 2012 http://thepeopleschronicle.in/?p=3064 The one-day convention held on ‘Exploitation of Loktak Wetlands’ held today resolved that Manipur government should commission an inquiry by the Central Bureau of Investigation to investigate the scandalous Phumdi clearance work process in Loktak Lake, including all the processes of awarding contract to K-Pro Infra Works Private Ltd in 2009 and the role of Progressive Construction Limited and the Government of Manipur. Apart from adopting a series of resolutions to protect the Loktak Lake, the one-day convention held at the Manipur Press Club also formed a joint committee on the preservation of Loktak Wetlands with Islam Makakcha, Secretary General of the HERICOUN as the convenor with representatives of all the organizations representing the state level convention on “Exploitation of Loktak Wetlands” as co-convenors. The state level convention was organised by All Loktak Lake Fisherman Union and the Committee on the Protection of Natural Resources in Manipur.While calling for repeal of the Manipur Loktak Lake Protection Act, 2006, the convention also resolved that LDA should furnish all details about the controversial contract, details about earnest money submitted by the K-Pro along with the details of shareholders for K-Pro company and also to investigate correlation of Phumdi clearance and burning of floating huts, forced eviction and displacement of thousands of fishing communities from Loktak lake.
Last Updated on Tuesday, 23 October 2012 03:12
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