Large scale felling of trees at Gwarok reserved forest peeves villagers
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, February 14 2018: For the people of Lourembam village, which is located near Gwarok reserved forest under Nongpok Sekmai PS (Thoubal district), the woods/trees are their life and it is the aspiration of the villagers to safeguard the trees of the forest as well as the tree plantations.

The villagers have been guarding the forest as well as the plantations, and they have been planting trees to ensure that the forest and the tree plantation do not succumb to the ravages of the changing climate.

Speaking to The Sangai Express, the secretary of Lourembam Awang Leikai Development Committee, Kh Bijoy said that to protect the tree plantation (which is managed by the village) in light of the numerous wildfire in the reserved forest, people from all the households of the villages create barricades and implement various safety measures to protect the plantation from the forest's wildfire.

Large scale felling of trees at Gwarok reserved forest peeves villagers

The village, which is situated around 11 kilometres to the North of Thoubal HQs, follows a tradition in which if anyone cuts the oak tree or any other tree from the plantation, the entire village will refrain from attending any ceremony/functions of the said individual and his family.

Pointing out that felling of tress is strictly prohibited in the plantation, Bijoy said that even the dry woods/trees of are auctioned off and the money received is used as the village fund.

However, the trees can be cut only when a local from the village passes away, he added.

On the other hand, Bijoy said that around 20 years earlier, the villagers of Lourembam assisted the Forest Department in planting scores of pine trees in Gwarok reserved forest which is adjacent to the plantation, and the villagers have been maintaining/monitoring the pine tress of the reserved forest till date.

He further stated that the villagers of Lourembam complained to the Divisional Forest Officer, Thoubal, after the people of Gwarok Maring village began felling down the trees in the month of June last year.

The people of Lourembam have also complained three times to the authority concerned this year as well, he added.

Seeking the attention of the Forest Minister regarding the conservation of the reserved forest, Bijoy urged the authorities concerned to conduct immediate spot verification and ban the felling of trees in the reserved forest with immediate effect.

On the other hand, during inspection of the reserved forest, it was found that the pine trees had been cut in large number and new routes had been created to transport the felled pine trees.

Speaking to The Sangai Express, the Divisional Forest Officer, Thoubal, stated that there were reports of selling around 253 hectares of Gwarok reserved forest to Gwarok Maring village at the time when the forest was declared a reserved forest.

The officer also claimed that there was even an incident when the police had to get involved after the Department declined the demand of the people of Gwarok village to cut down the pine trees, by informing them that felling of trees was banned and even the High Court has issued an order against such activities.

The officer further informed that Gwarok Maring Village Authority sold the pine trees to an individual and when the said individual sent four labourers to cut the trees, the Department had detained the workers.

As a part of the action taken up by the Department under the Indian Forest Act, a saw mill located inside the reserved forest was also closed down and it was banned from cutting any more trees, the official added.