IMPHAL, Jan 13 : A rally of about 100 villagers today stormed the residence of state civil supply minister, Y Erabot at Khurai, protesting the government`s proposal to construct an Industrial Growth Centre at the arable and fertile Waiton Mamang Chingjarol Loukon.
The rallyists carrying placards with slogans such as "don`t barter the livelihood of farmers", "scrap plan for industrial growth centre on farmland", "prevent starving Manipur" etc, were stopped by police a little distance from the minister`s residence and after a wait for some time, five of them were allowed to meet the minister.
According to a spokesman of the protestors, they briefed the minister that although they support the government`s plan, they were totally against its choice of site.
Instead of the arable agricultural land, they suggested to the minister that the vacant land lying between Phaknung and Kangla Siphai can be and should be more fruitfully used for the developmental work, he said.
He said this suggestion had been made many times before to the government authorities, but it seems the government is not budging from its original stance, hence today`s public demonstration.
The spokesman further said if the government decides to push ahead with its plan, the affected farmers would resort to other more severe forms of agitations, including hunger strike etc.
It may be recalled that the government has been facing similar agitations whenever it planned to use agricultural or wet lands for development projects from both affected farmers, environment workers and other social workers who feel shrinking either farmland or wetlands is an atrocity against man and nature.
The last such agitation was over the choice of Langol farmlands and wetlands for the proposed National Institute of Technology, NIT project.