Hundreds of residents of Jampui Hill gathered at Jampui Hill RD Block area in Vanghmun under the banner of ‘Save Tlaksih Village’ and submitted a memorandum to the Chief Minister through the BDO Nabarun Chakraborty on 21 June 2024.
Tlaksih, a picturesque century-old village in Jampui Hill bear the brunt of the negative consequences of the construction of NH44A, with the eastern half of the village sliding and sinking and developing further cracks since a year ago, making it unhabitable.
Fourteen houses were damaged and abandoned, about seven acres of plantation crops were destroyed, thirty graves were damaged and the villagers had to re-bury the mortal remains of their loved ones on a makeshift donated land, causing tremendous emotional pains.
The lone government school of the village is also affected by the slide and has to be abandoned.
The only approach road towards the village centre is too steep and curvy, and now also develops cracks and is dangerous for plying of vehicles. No adequate rehabilitative and relief measures have been given to the affected families.
Many families of Tlaksih village and Hmunpui village have not been given their rightful compensation which are due to them, even up to this day.
As this year’s monsoon rains continue to pour down, the cracks widen, expand and the slides progress with possibility of the worst disaster of its kind further happening any moment.
Many efforts and actions have been taken in the past, which unfortunately have not yet solved the core issues and problems of Tlaksih villagers or yield tangible results. Hence, today’s public rally puts forward eleven demand points in their memorandum to the Chief Minister.
Among them, award of compensation and relief in line with the real value of the damaged and lost properties to families who lost their houses and properties, families whose lands and plantation crops are destroyed, families currently still living in the slide prone areas so that they can safely shift to a safer location as soon as possible, families of Hmunpui and Tlaksih villages whose lands, crops and houses along Hmunpui-Kanchanpur segment (Package 3) are damaged by the construction of NH44A all must be given as soon as possible to the real worth of their properties, families within Tlaksih village area from whom additional land acquirement was made.
They also mention rebuilding the whole Tlaksih village as a Model Village through funds from Central Government as a special package and to construct a gravity retaining wall at high risk areas, soon during the next dry season.
The memo was signed by president and Secretary of Tlaksih Village Council, president and General Secretary of Youth Wing of Mizo Convention, the organization that spearheaded today’s rally, and also countersigned by president and General Secretary of Jampui Hill Mizo Convention.
Talking to the media, Dr Zairemthiama Pachuau, General Secretary of Jampui Hill Mizo Convention exhorted the gravity of the physical damages and the emotional tolls caused to the villagers by the man-made disaster, and also states, “We are glad we have the rally peacefully under a clear blue sky, a sign which I hope is an indication that the Honourable CM will seriously consider our points and immediately coordinate actions that adequately solve, once and for all, the woes of Tlaksih villagers and of significant number of families of Hmunpui village too. We have faith in him because as the ‘father’ of our state he has the intellectual capacity, the moral obligation, and the legal and constitutional authority to delegate and assign responsibilities to appropriate offices, departments and institutions for actions.”
(Tripura, Tripura News)
