IMPHAL: UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, while acknowledging the growing public fury against the state government's decision to set up a five-star hotel at Naga River Colony here after evicting people of the area, has pledged to request the authorities concerned to look into the matter.
The hotel is to be upgraded from the existing state-run Hotel Imphal located close to the colony also known as Kabo Leikai that houses around thirty families belonging to different ethnic communities.
Claiming that they have been living there since ages, the ill-fated residents said the government's plan to set up the luxurious hotel after evicting their houses, worship places and graveyards was an attempt to break the age-old tradition of peaceful co-existence among different communities in harmony and disrespect to religion. They have been opposing the order since last month.A local pressure group and the colony residents said they are happy to learn that Sonia Gandhi has assured to look into the matter for the well-being of the inhabitants. The group, in a statement released on Saturday, said Sonia's assurance was given to John Dayal, a member of National Integration Council, New Delhi.
The pressure group's statement said the villagers are apprehensive that they may be evicted soon if the process of land acquisition was not halted halted. Chief minister Okram Ibobi Singh has recently said his government was considering to provide resettlement to those Naga colony residents whose houses would be evicted for setting up the proposed 5-sta0r hotel.