๐ ๐ก๐ ๐ฆ๐ต๐๐๐ ๐๐ผ๐๐ป ๐ ๐ถ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐บ! ๐ญ๐ฌ-๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ฃ๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐๐ ๐๐ด๐ฎ๐ถ๐ป๐๐ ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐ ๐๐ฐ๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป
The Mizo National Front (MNF), Mizoramโs main opposition party, staged a 10-hour statewide shutdown on Wednesday to protest the state governmentโs decision to adopt the Forest (Conservation) Amendment Act, 2023 (FCAA).
The shutdown, which began at 6 a.m., was observed across the state except in the Mamit district, where bypolls are scheduled for November 11. Shops, offices, schools, banks, and government institutions remained closed as the protest paralysed normal life in most areas.
Streets in Aizawl and other towns wore a deserted look, with only emergency vehicles seen on the roads. The Peopleโs Conference Party and the Joint Civil Society Mizoram (JCSM), a coalition of several organisations, extended support to the protest, which drew significant participation from the public.
MNF president and former Chief Minister Zoramthanga said his party has consistently opposed the FCAA extension in Mizoram, calling it โdangerousโ for the state. โThe FCAA allows the Centre to take control of almost the entire land in the name of national security and strategic projects. The law exempts a 100 km area from international borders. We will withdraw the resolution adopting the Act when the MNF returns to power,โ Zoramthanga said.
He alleged that the ruling Zoram Peopleโs Movement (ZPM) government, led by Chief Minister Lalduhoma, had โblindly supportedโ the Act despite its potential implications for Mizoramโs land and forest rights.
Zoramthanga also claimed that the new law violates Article 371(G) of the Constitution, which provides special protection to Mizoram in matters of land, religion, and social practices.
The FCAA, passed by Parliament in August 2023, allows the Union government to clear forest land within 100 km of international borders for โstrategic and national security projectsโ without prior clearance. Mizoram, bordered by Bangladesh and Myanmar, falls entirely within this zone.
The MNFโs shutdown comes two months after the state assembly, in its monsoon session, adopted a resolution opposing the Act โ a move the ZPM government reversed earlier this year by approving its implementation.
As the protest concluded peacefully, MNF leaders vowed to continue their agitation until the Centre rolls back the Actโs extension to Mizoram, asserting that it undermines the rights and autonomy of the stateโs indigenous communities.
