Earth levellings prevent state from protecting reserved forest areas
Source: Hueiyen News Service

Imphal, May 19 2011: Even though there is a restriction on taking out earth form reserved forest areas, no one including the forest department abides by the rule.

As per a report of the state forest department, out of Manipur's geographical area of 22,327 square kilometer 17,219 sq km, that is, 77.12 % of the total geographical area is forest area.

Out of the total forest area, 1467 sq.

km.

i.e.8.6% has been defined as reserved forests area, and an area of 4171 sq km or 24.64 % of the total forest area is 'protected forests' and the rest belong to other categories of forests.

701 sq km of the total forest area is categorized as very dense forest area while 5474 sq km as moderately dense forest area and 11,105 sq km as open forest area.

The declared reserved forest areas include the forest area at Langol and Chingmeirong in Imphal West district and Nongmaiching and Keirao Awa Ching in Imphal East.

However, many individuals and government agencies are excavating truck loads of earth from this reserved forest areas apparently without any restriction.

For instance, against the restrictions, earth is being taken out from the reserved forest areas for development of grounds for the construction of the Imphal Capitol Project at Chingmeirong.

Apart from this, a portion of the Chingmeirong reserved forest has been encroached by the CRPF for development of their shooting range.

As per the government rule, if land within the reserved forest area has become a must for utilization for certain purposes, the government should at first de-notify the area from being reserved forest.

However, no such procedures were taken up while utilizing the forest areas, according to an official source.

An official of the forest department disclosed that when earth was being removed from the reserved forest area the department had objected to it.

However an agreement was reached between the Forest Department and the PWD.

As per the agreement, PWD was to pay royalty to the Forest Department but for the time being the Forest Department had stopped the PWD from removing earth from the reserved forest area.

Currently, Forest Guards patrol the Chingmeirong reserved forest area everyday to prevent earth from being removed, the official added.

When the Forest Department tried to stop contractors from removing earth from reserved forest areas, they were threatened by the contractors who continued to remove earth.

Some ministers and MLAs intervened in favour of the contractors.

At Keirao Awa Ching many individuals has encroached on reserved areas.

They fell trees any time.

Such practices are carried out in other forest areas at Nongmaiching, Angourok, Sagolok etc.

Soon no trees will grow in these forest areas.

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