Manipur: Kwakta residents urge Governor to probe unauthorized sale of government land

Imphal: Residents and stakeholders of Kwakta, Moirang, in Manipur's Bishnupur district have submitted a memorandum to the Governor of Manipur, raising concerns over the management, upgradation, and alleged unauthorised sale of government land belonging to Kwakta Government High School.

The memorandum points to recent developments at the school, which is among 19 institutions selected for upgradation to Higher Secondary status.

According to residents, a meeting was held on January 20, 2025, at the Kwakta Municipal Council, organised by the local MLA, where a “Construction Committee” was reportedly formed to oversee the construction of the new Higher Secondary building.

The committee allegedly decided that the land occupied by the existing school should be sold and took it upon itself to set the sale price without consulting the Department of Education or other government authorities.

However, information obtained under the Right to Information (RTI) Act from the Zonal Education Officer (Zone IV, Bishnupur) contradicts these claims.

The RTI stated that no Construction Committee had been officially formed and that the government land had not been cleared for sale.

The official School Management and Development Committee (SMDC) for the 2025-26 academic session was only constituted on April 5, 2025, long after the alleged decisions by the unofficial committee.

The memorandum describes the committee’s actions as bypassing legal procedures, calling the proposed sale of government land “unauthorised and potentially illegal.”

Residents have urged that the current school site continue to serve as a Junior High School for classes I-VIII to meet the educational needs of the community.

The community has requested the Governor to launch an immediate and impartial inquiry, protect government property, and take action against those responsible for the alleged irregularities.

They warned that inaction could threaten both the integrity of government property and the education of students in Kwakta.