Source: Hueiyen News Service
Imphal, January 14 2009:
IT IS time for the people of Manipur to go on early polls.
No, it is no by-elections or state assembly elections or the Lok Sabha elections but to vote for something that the state very much owns and loves, the Loktak Lake.
The Loktak Lake of Manipur, the biggest fresh-water lake in the North-Eastern part of India, has been nominated for the NDTV's Seven Wonders of India nationwide poll.
The poll is being held as a part of Union Ministry of Tourism's ongoing 'Incredible India!' campaign in collaboration with the New Delhi Television (NDTV) .
The Loktak Lake has always been a centre of attraction for the various tourists visiting the state not to forget the people of the state who also throng to see the beautiful lake.
Also a source of livelihood for those living around the lake, the Loktak reportedly attracts over lakhs of visitors annually for its scenic beauty and serenity.
Due to the floating Phumdies (weeds) on it, it is also called the only "Floating lake" in the world.
And though already famous in the world for its own ways, this is perhaps one opportunity for the people of Manipur to 'officially' make it to the Seven Wonders of India.
The Keibul Lamjao National Park, which is stated to be the last natural refuge of the SANGAI, Manipur's brow-antlered deer (Cervus eldi eldi), is situated in the southeastern region of the Loktak Lake.
The Keibul Lamjao National Park is also the only floating National Park in the world.
Besides natural sites and beauties, the campaign also reportedly includes man-made edifices, historical monuments and cultural centres.
According to reports reaching here, a good number of heritage sites from the North Eastern state on India are nominated with Assam leading the nominations with a total of four.
These are the wildlife sanctuary Kaziranga, the Kamakhya Temple, the Brahmaputra River and the Brahmaputra's river island Majuli.
This is followed by Sikkim with three nominations that are the Tashiding Monastry, Mt.
Kachenjunga and the Changu Lake.
Tripura has two with its famed Neer Mahal and Unakoti Hill nominated while Meghalaya's monolith site Nartiang and Arunachal Pradesh's Tawang Monastry are also nominated.
Though only the Loktak Lake has been nominated from the state of Manipur, it is reportedly leading the race in the North Eastern region.
However, leading the overall India race so far, according to reports, is the Sri Padmanabhswamy Temple in Trivandrum with the Allappuzha and Kumarakom Backwaters in Kerala and the third, Silent Valley National Park also in Kerala, coming a close behind.
To vote for the Loktak Lake, the people of Manipur can log onto www.ndtv.com or www.e-pao.net or vote from their mobile phones too.
To vote from mobile phones, SMS 7 to 56388 or log on to mobile.ndtv.com on the phone browser.
NDTV, the English news channel is also carrying out a regular telecast of the campaign and the nominees with a travelogue highlighting the overall India sites.