Imphal, Oct. 17: An organisation of farmers in Manipur has demanded compensation from the Centre for damage to cropland by the Loktak hydel project.

The Loumi Marup Manipur has submitted a memorandum to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in this connection.

The forum is a front organisation of the CPI, a constituent of the ruling Secular Progressive Front (SPF) government in the state. The Congress heads the SPF coalition.

The forum has sought compensation from Delhi for farmers whose paddy fields have been submerged after the national hydroelectric project was commissioned in Bishenpur district.

The Loumi Marup Manipur claimed that after the Loktak project was commissioned in June 1984, 30,000 hectares of paddy fields were initially submerged. But as siltation increased, the waterbody has expanded further, bringing a total of 50,000 hectares of paddy fields on the lake fringes underwater.

The memorandum urged the Prime Minister to ensure the Centre pays compensation for all the cropland lost. It also sought monetary compensation for the value of crops lost over all these years. It put the annual loss at Rs 500 crore.

The memorandum also urged Delhi to exempt affected farmers from paying electricity taxes and land revenue for the submerged fields and waive all loans given to them.

Forum president M. Ritichandra Singh said the project was supposed to improve power supply and irrigation facilities to permanently solve the problem of floods, but the farmers? woes have only risen.

In a separate memorandum, the organisation has urged chief minister Okram Ibobi Singh to order a survey to ascertain the exact damage caused by Loktak lake so that an action plan can be taken up for paying compensation to affected farmers.