Laipham Khunou takes up the cudgel of saving paddy fields
Source: Hueiyen News Service / Sobhapati Samom

Imphal, June 09 2013: Continuous construction works across the paddy fields evoked sharp reaction from the residents of Laipham Khunou village in Imphal East district on Sunday.

The local residents have even warned of dire consequences in case the concerned parties continue to construct houses and bungalows by filling up the paddy fields.

"We've decided not to allow further construction in the paddy fields", said a key functionary of Laipham Khunou Youth Development Association (LKYDA) after attending a public meeting on Sunday.

"We took up the steps as immediate measures to save our paddy fields.

Otherwise the original settlers would become minority in their own village", he added.

Only about 14 percent of the households are new settlers against 86 percent original settlers in Laipham Khunou village in 1971, but it was increased to 44 percent (new settlers) against 56 percent original settlers in 2001, according to LKYDA.

"We're not objecting to the sale or buying of paddy fields, but requesting both the sellers and buyers not to build structures by filling paddy fields so that we could save our cultivable land", the key functionary said.

The Sunday meeting held at Laipham Khunou Mitong Lampak has also decided to close down two inter village roads and asked the paddy field buyers not to construct houses.

Besides, Laipham Khunou area, paddy fields in other parts of the valley, also known as state's rice bowl measuring around 700 square miles, are fast diminishing as there is no policy to protect the agricultural land in the state.

On the other hand, hill areas which occupy more than 80 per cent of the state's total area (22,327 sq km) is being kept reserved for scheduled tribes.

The state has been reportedly losing about 200 hectares of cultivable land annually as per an independent survey, according to Th Dhiren of Waiton Mamang Chingarel Loukon Kanba Lup, a farm land protection body.

He said that time has come to save the state's agricultural land to ensure production of self sufficient food grains for the people living in the blockade ridden and land locked state.

Though there are reports of having around 1.95 lakh hectares of cultivable land in Manipur, no latest figure is available for the records.

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