COCOMI to launch agitation on Jan 12 over IDP resettlement in Manipur

Imphal, Jan 8: The Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI), along with valley-based Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), will launch an agitation on January 12, demanding time-bound and effective measures for their resettlement.

COCOMI convenor Khuraijam Athouba said, on Wednesday, that a team of IDPs had held discussions with the Chief Secretary on Tuesday on rehabilitation and resettlement-related issues.

“Our representatives met the Chief Secretary, and we are hopeful that before the January 12 deadline, the government will respond with the necessary information due to the people, as per our demands,” Athouba said on the sidelines of the launch of COCOMI’s official website on Wednesday.

However, he added that no concrete assurances were made public following the talks.

As part of the agitation, COCOMI has proposed a march towards Lok Bhavan to draw attention to the prolonged displacement of families who have been living in relief camps since the outbreak of violence in Manipur.

The organisation has been consistently demanding immediate steps to ensure the safe, dignified and permanent resettlement of those affected by the ongoing crisis.

Earlier, on December 8, a COCOMI team led by Athouba inspected Leimaram Waroiching Leikai, the site where displaced families are expected to return. Local leaders from Waroiching village were present during the visit.

Athouba expressed serious concern over the condition of abandoned homes, most of which are kutcha structures that have remained unattended for over two-and-a-half years.

The team conducted house-to-house inspections to assess structural damage and reviewed the government’s preparedness for resettlement.

COCOMI Publicity In-Charge, L Jayanta, said the organisation had submitted several suggestions to the government, particularly regarding houses deemed uninhabitable.

Meanwhile, the state government has said the resettlement process is being undertaken cautiously to ensure safety, dignity and long-term stability for returning IDPs.

On December 31, the Manipur government said that more than 10,000 IDPs from over 2,200 households have been resettled across the state.

Asserting that the exercise is being carried out with due care, the government said the resettlement drive is being implemented under a Rs 523-crore Resettlement and Rehabilitation Package announced in the Manipur Budget 2025–26.

So far, the state government has released Rs 35.46 crore for the construction of houses and Rs 9.26 crore for the repair of partially damaged homes.

Around 4,000 houses are currently under construction at various stages as part of the resettlement process.