Imphal, June 7: Former Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh has pointed to what he described as a significant “anomaly” in official data on village growth in the state’s hill districts, raising questions over the uneven expansion of settlements over the past five decades.
In an infographic shared by Singh, village statistics from 1972 and 2023 for Kangpokpi, Churachandpur, Senapati and Ukhrul districts were compared to highlight the pattern of change. He argued that the trend warrants closer scrutiny.
According to the figures cited, the total number of villages across the four districts increased from 754 in 1972 to 1,865 in 2023, marking an addition of 1,111 villages. Kangpokpi saw an increase from 193 to 713 villages, while Churachandpur rose from 339 to 874 during the same period.
The data indicated comparatively smaller increases in Senapati and Ukhrul districts. Singh claimed that Kangpokpi and Churachandpur together accounted for nearly 95 per cent of the total increase in villages across the four hill districts.
Describing the trend as a “village growth anomaly”, the former Chief Minister said the figures suggest a pattern that requires deeper examination. However, he also acknowledged that the data itself does not explain the underlying reasons behind the expansion.
The infographic outlined possible factors that could have contributed to the increase, including administrative bifurcation of villages, recognition of previously unrecorded settlements, demographic growth, migration, changing settlement patterns and governance-related processes.
Singh further stated that the concentration of village expansion in specific districts calls for a detailed review of village recognition records, census data, land and revenue documents, historical maps, satellite imagery and migration patterns.
“The anomaly is not a matter of opinion; it is visible in the data,” he said, stressing the importance of understanding the causes behind differing growth patterns for informed discussions on land governance, demographic change and development planning in Manipur.
The remarks come amid ongoing sensitivities in Manipur surrounding land, identity, administrative boundaries and settlement patterns, which continue to be central to political and social discourse in the state.
