'Over 14,000 ha of forests burnt'
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, February 23 2023:
According to a report of the North East Space Application Centre, Shillong, 14,699.04 hectares of the State's reserved forests were ravaged by fire between 2019 and January 2023 and 95 per cent of the fires were man-made, said Forest, Environment and Climate Change Minister Thongam Biswajit.
Replying to a query raised by Congress MLA K Ranjit in the State Assembly during question hour today, Biswajit said that six persons were arrested between 2019 and February 2023 in connection with starting fires in reserved forests.
Trials are going on in Courts against five of the six accused while the sixth accused has been slapped a fine of Rs 5,500 by the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Jiribam, he informed the House.
Some of the major reasons for starting fires in reserved forests are grudges and hatred borne by evicted encroachers against Forest officials, expansion of agricultural areas and herding of wild animals by poachers in one side of forest by starting fire on the other side etc, he said.
Replying to another query raised by K Ranjit, Th Biswajit who also holds the portfolio of Agriculture said that organic farming is practised in around 11,500 hectares in the State under the Mission Organic Value Chain Development for North East Region (MOVCD-NER) .
The Government has been planning to expand the area of organic farming in accordance with the wishes of the people, Biswajit said.
Replying to a question raised by Ngursanglur Sanate, Biswajit said that roosting of Amur Falcons have been discovered in Lungthulien and adjoining villages of Pherzawl district in addition to different places of Tamenglong district.
Apart from putting up signboards, Forest Department has been organising awareness programmes on the importance of protecting Amur Falcons, he said.
Forest officials have been detailed for regular patrol duty while the Pherzawl District Magistrate has banned use of guns and airguns from the day Amur Falcons start arriving till the day they depart the district, Biswajit added.