Environment Day :: PREPAK for action
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, June 04 2012:
On the occasion of the World Environment Day, the proscribed PREPAK has called upon all the people of the land to work towards realising the very objectives of observing the day.
In a statement issued by it's assistant secretary, publicity and propaganda Leibakngakpa Luwang, PREPAK stated that this year's theme is "Green Economy: Does it include you" .
With this theme, the United Nations has set a target of making all economic activities environment friendly and at the same time enhance forest cover of the Earth's surface.
Not only that, the UN has set its eyes on reducing challenges and threats to ecology and environment.
Important agendas of this year's World Environment Day are reduction of carbon emission, effective control of pollution, preservation of bio-diversity and eco-systems and economic alleviation of the poor.
Saying that PREPAK fully supports all these agendas, it lamented that indigenous people cannot implement any meaningful programme or policy as the State is under the yoke of the alleged imperialist India.
Even after the Stockholm Conference (1972) and Rio De Janeiro Conference (1992), India has nothing substantial to realise the objectives of World Environment Day.
Although the so-called North East India is rich in natural resources and the indigenous people have a long tradition of living in harmony with the natural environment, the natural environment has been subjected to wanton exploitation since the region was merged into India, it alleged.
Observing that large tracts of forests are being burnt for jhoom cultivation in addition to cutting down trees continuously over the years, the outfit alleged security forces have also been destroying forest areas in the name of counter insurgency operations.
For all the forests of Kangleipak are in hill ranges, opening barracks of security forces on hill-tops is against the interest of natural environment, it asserted.
In the meantime, the Government of India has been pushing hard for Tipaimukh Project which would be disastrous to the bio-diversity, eco-system as well as human settlements.
The project would also sound death knell for many indigenous species of flora and fauna.
Had there been no alien rule in Kangleipak, its environment and ecology would not have degraded to such alarming level, PREPAK asserted.
Alleging that the alien rule has been marching against the objectives of World Environment Day, the outfit claimed that the existing regime wrecked havoc to Keibul Lamjao, the only natural habitat of Sangai, as well as Loktak Lake through intensive militarisation.