ES Reporter 

LIKABALI, Sep 4: Hundreds of residents from Durpai, Champak Chojo, and Sogum, under Lower Siang District, staged a protest in front of the Deputy Commissioner's office in Likabali under the banner of Durpai Youth Welfare Association, demanding the rollback of the looping system related to the Assam-Arunachal Boundary issue.
Holding banners and shouting slogans, the villagers sought the intervention of Chief Minister Pema Khandu to roll back the decision to give at least 60 sq. km of land under the looping system to Assam from Durpai village.
Speaking to the media, Reli Kena, President- Durpai Village Development Committee categorically stated that the villagers cannot cede an inch of land to Assam, and they don't want any from the Assam counterpart either. "Due to this looping system, just to resolve the boundary issue out of court, we cannot be made scapegoats. We demand to maintain the mantra of 'As is Where is'," he said.
"Since time immemorial, the said lands have belonged to our forefathers, now inherited by this generation. Our sources of economic activities depend on this area, so we cannot compromise here," stated the President.
"We have submitted a memorandum to the state government through DC Lower Siang demanding the immediate rollback of Loop Mapping of Durpai, Champak Chajo & Sogum villages, immediate annulment of the recent MoU signed by both Assam and Arunachal CMs, an immediate physical site visit by both CMs, and maintaining 'As Is-Where Is' in boundary areas."
Furthermore, the villagers have threatened to take out a foot march from their village to Itanagar as a mark of protest and to sit in a hunger strike and demonstrate outside the Raj Bhawan and the Secretariat/CM Residence.
Another youth leader asserted that if the government rejects the proposal of the villages, there might be a civil war more dangerous than the ongoing crisis in Manipur, while appealing to State CM Pema Khandu to immediately respond to the demands.
Advocate & Public leader Iken Tao, while addressing the media, informed that a case will be filed in the Supreme Court related to the Loop Map system  depriving the rights of villagers on their ancestral lands
 Meanwhile, villagers also burnt down the copy of  recent MoU which was signed by  both the Chief Minister of Assam & Arunachal in the presence of  Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi in April last.

---

Kenter Joya Riba

(Managing Editor)
      She is a graduate in Science with post graduation in Sociology from University of Pune. She has been in the media industry for nearly a decade. Before turning to print business, she has been associated with radio and television.
Email: kenterjoyaz@easternsentinel.in / editoreasternsentinel@gmail.com
Phone: 0360-2212313

<< Back to News List