Three years after the first wave of displacement, thousands of families are still living in what were meant to be temporary relief camps. Every few months brings another announcement of extended camp operations, additional relief material, or incremental funding. What has not arrived is a clear policy roadmap for permanent resettlement.

Temporary measures were reasonable in year one. By year three, their continuation risks normalising displacement itself. Families cannot plan their children’s education, their livelihoods, or their futures around indefinite uncertainty. What is needed now is a public, time-bound plan for permanent housing, land allocation where feasible, and a clear articulation of what “resettlement” will actually look like for those who cannot return to their original homes.

Camp extensions are not compassion if they become a substitute for a real plan. Manipur’s displaced deserve better than managed uncertainty.