Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, June 05 2010:
Stating that it is a policy of the Government to stop and evict encroachers from the Reserve Forest land, Chief Minister O Ibobi Singh has appealed to the encroachers to leave the land voluntarily so as to avoid regret in future.
Speaking as chief guest of the World Environment Day function organised by Environment and Ecology Wing, Government of Manipur today, Ibobi said that the Government has been trying hard to stop indiscriminate felling of trees and protect reserve forest areas.
To counter deforestation in the hill areas, the Government is planning to provide cooking gas to every households, the Chief Minister disclosed.
He further informed that taking into account many institutions located in Lamphel area, the Government is thinking of declaring it as an institutional area so that all the unauthorised encroachers could be evicted.
After evicting the encroachers, the surrounding areas of the institutions would be properly developed, the Chief Minister said, adding that out of the total requirement of 500 acres, 300 acres of land have already been earmarked for construction of NIT.
Explaining that all these 500 acres would not be utilised for the construction of NIT, the Chief Minister said that multi-storeyed buildings would be constructed in the hill portions and the remaining areas would be preserved.
Observing that preservation of lakes in Manipur should be the responsibility of every individuals, the Chief Minister disclosed that process for enactment of an Agriculture Land Use Act is underway to stop construction activities on agricultural land.
He said that it is being targeted to shift away Manipur Legislative Assembly by next year.
After shifting away the Assembly, the Government is planning to extend the complex upto Indira Park, Tombisana High School and Hindi Parishad for development of a large and beautiful park, the Chief Minister added.
Presiding over the function, Forest and Environment Minister Th Debendra pointed out that earth is the only known planet which has been supporting the lives of many species for million of years.
However, with steady rise in the level of global warming from increasing human activities, the question of whether any life form would be able to exist any longer has come to haunt the minds of the people today.
The impact of global warming can be countered only with proper preservation and protection of our environment, the Minister noted.