Immediately stop evicting and threatening the floating huts-dwellers of Loktak Lake: AHRC

IMPHAL, Feb 28: The Asian Human Rights Commission has in a statement demanded India government to immediately stop evicting and threatening the floating huts-dwellers of Loktak Lake.

“The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from Centre for Research and Advocacy, Manipur regarding continued eviction of floating hut dwellers and destruction of their floating huts at Loktak Lake by the Loktak Development Authority (LDA) of the Government of Manipur and Manipur Police on February 23, 2013,” it said.

“Worryingly, the assault came despite the restrictions imposed by the Gauhati High Court on January 25, 2012. Though the police and LDA personnel had to back off because of stiff resistance they met, they still destroyed two floating huts and fired in the air,” it said.

“The eviction had started in November 2011 under the controversial Manipur Loktak Lake Protection Act 2006. Victims were further affected by the Ithai Barrage of the Loktak Multipurpose Hydroelectric Project commissioned in 1984,” it added.