Bodies urge for enforcing quarrying ban
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, October 26 2013 : Accusing a village chief of disregarding mutual agreement on banning quarrying activities at Sekmai riverbed of the Imphal River, Sekmai and Kanglatongbi-based organisations called upon the Government of Mani-pur to effectively enforce the recent Supreme Court ruling against sand and stone mining at central forest divisions.

As spokesperson of Sek-mai Protection Committee, Advance Women Society (Awang Sekmai), Kangla-tongbi Hatikhuwa Develop- ment Committee and Kang-latongbi Gram Panchayat Or- ganisation, Angom Rajesh told newspersons at Manipur Press Club today that inspite of quarrying activities banned along the Sekmai river taking into account unrestrained destruction caused to the local environment and ecology due to large-scale sand and stone mining, quarrying activities continue to flourish at adjacent areas.

With quarry owners using huge machinery like excavators and tippers the Sekmai river bed has sunk to about 20 feet deep at the average thereby severely affecting paddy cultivation and other agricultural activities at Sek-mai and Kanglatongbi areas, Rajesh informed adding that excessive quarrying has resulted in nearly 260 paris of paddy plantation site remaining dry this season.

(Left) a dry well at Kangla

Moreover, deepening of the river bed had dried up most of the wells in Kangla-tongbi thereby posing serious threat on the survival of people of Kanglatongbi, high- lighted the spokesperson.

Apart from the direct impact on the locals, excessive quarrying activities caused water and environmental pollution thereby compelling the four organisations to totally prohibit quarrying activities since June this year.

As the nearby Phairen and Luwangshangol villages had certain reservation against the total ban, a joint meeting attended by Phairen and Luwangshangol village chiefs and representatives of the four Sekmai-Kanglatongbi organisations was convened on June 26 at Kanglatongbi Panchayat office.

With the Phairen village chief contending that the quarrying ban would have adverse impact on the livelihood of the villagers many of whom are engaged as quarry labourers, the joint meeting consequently decided to ease the ban from July till September to enable Phairen villagers search alternative source of generating income, Rajesh explained.

Contrary to the joint meeting's other resolution for reimposing the ban from october and duly approved by both Phairen and Luwangshangol village chiefs, the Phairen chief retreated from the mutual agreement and resumed/allowed transportation of quarry products since October 11, the spokesperson contended.

Noting that apart from the joint decision to prohibit quarrying activities, the Divisional Forest officer, Manipur in sync with a Supreme Court ruling issued an order on September 2 banning river sand and stone mining activities, Rajesh also prevailed upon the State authorities that the order need to be effectively enforced to prevent further devastation of the river as well as protect the environment.

Outrightly rejecting contention that the quarrying ban also covers prohibition on movement of heavy vehicles through the quarrying sites, he clarified that there is no restriction on vehicles transporting household goods, fire-woods, agricultural equipment/products, etc.

The said ban is limited to only quarry products, he iterated.