Imphal West DC reviews Internally Displaced Persons resettlement

IMPHAL — In a move towards facilitating the return of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) to their native villages, Deputy Commissioner of Imphal West district, M Rajkumar, conducted a detailed inspection at New Keithelmanbi on Thursday.

The visit was focussed at assessing the overall preparedness of the area to ensure essential services, safe and coordinated resettlement process.

The DC was accompanied by officials from various line departments, including representatives from the district police, health services, rural development, and relief and disaster management.

During the inspection, the team evaluated key infrastructure, security arrangements, and availability of essential services such as drinking water, power supply, sanitation, and healthcare.

Interacting with both government officials and local stakeholders to understand the ground realities apart from highlighting the importance of inter-departmental coordination to ensure that the returning families face no hindrance, Rajkumar also urged the local community to extend cooperation to ensure peaceful coexistence and rebuild trust in the affected areas.

New Keithelmanbi has been reportedly identified as one of the locations for the phased return of IDPs. It may be mentioned that Manipur had been witnessing a series of unwanted incidents after the May 3 incident in 2023 when a student rally turned violent in Churachandpur district and subsequently the violent acts spread in other parts of the state in which more than 250 people have lost their lives while more than 50,000 people were rendered homeless.

Since then most of the displaced people are still staying in the relief camps across the state while some are taking shelter outside the state.

Thangal Bazaar shutdown

Expressing concern over the district-level eviction drive at Thangal Bazaar, the shop keepers and owners on Thursday closed their shutters in protest.

The Imphal West District administration had launched the drive as part of its broader initiative to remove encroachments from footpath and public spaces.

Officials from the district administration, supported by personnel from the police and municipal bodies, began the eviction operation early in the day. However, shop owners in Thangal Bazaar shut down their businesses and staged a collective protest when the team began dismantling structures identified as encroachments.

They argued that the eviction process was carried out without adequate prior notice or consultation, claiming that many families depended on these establishments for their livelihood.