CM urged to protect arable lands
Source: Hueiyen News Service
Imphal, May 17 2011:
All Manipur Tribal Union (AMTU) has expressed concern over the trend of diminishing arable lands in the hill districts following the onslaught of urbanization, infrastructural development and increasing intrusion of living quarters on cultivable lands.
The state government has been constructing almost all the infrastructures of its projects or estates on cultivable lands thereby destroying agricultural lands permanently, stated an AMTU memorandum submitted to the state Chief Minister.
AMTU has mooted a five-point suggestion to offset the trend of diminishing arable lands due to urbanization and installation of infrastructure.
The suggestions are inter alia introduction of an arable land conservation and protection bill, utilization with moderation hills and foothills for government estates and public homesteads, planting of high oxygen emitting banyan trees, installing mega irrigation and agriculture projects under DoNER etc.
The memorandum signed by general secretary Romeo Bungdon maintained that urbanization transforms arable lands into homesteads and sites for infrastructural development with the implication of the provision of "right to own property" and in such cases the Revenue Department hastily sanctions pattas.
Only agricultural products will sustain us in the future and not buildings and mountains.
The situation has become ominous and "I regret to note that we can not expect other states to feed us" he said.
He went on to argue that since cultivation on hills and mountains can not yield as much as on plains and valleys due to variable conditions like fertility of soil and lack of irrigation etc., the government must devise a policy to safeguard cultivable lands.
An "ill economy in the valley naturally hits the hills with an inflationary impact," he said.