Keibul Lamjao not suitable for heritage park: CM
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, August 01 2022:
Keibul Lamjao is not suitable for development of ethnic heritage park considering the scope of the park and if such a park is built at Keibul Lamjao, it would seriously threaten the natural habitat of Sangai.
This was stated by Chief Minister N Biren in reply to a call attention motion raised by Opposition Member K Ranjit in the State Assembly today.
Altogether 34 house models representing 34 ethnic groups of the State would be constructed within the proposed ethnic heritage park which would also have a water body, conference hall, guest house etc.
Moreover, the park would have a platform for presentation of light and sound shows and the Government has been considering to adopt the proposed park as the main venue of the annual Manipur Sangai Festival, the Chief Minister told the House.
If the park becomes the main venue of Sangai Festival, more than 3000 vehicles would visit the park in a day during the festival.
Foreign tourists would also visit the park.
As such, there would be a need to construct multiparking lots.
The area available at Keibul Lamjao for the proposed park is not suitable to the scope of the proposed park and the Government is not in a position to acquire more land, Biren said.
If Keibul Lamjao is made the main venue of Manipur Sangai Festival, loud sound and noises created during the festival would prove to be a serious disturbance to Sangais and their natural habitat, he continued.
The matter of developing an ethnic heritage park was deliberated after setting up a committee comprising officials of Tourism, MSPDCL, PWD.
PHED, Forest and architects and the committee agreed to develop the park at Moirang Khunou which is located within 2 Km radius of Keibul Lamjao, the Chief Minister said.
The Government had talked with the people who were demanding construction of the heritage park at Keibul Lamjao and it was agreed that a part of the park would be developed at Keibul Lamjao, he said.
Raising the call attention motion, K Ranjit said that the people of Keibul Lamjao have been protecting the Sangais of Keibul Lamjao.
The present natural habitat of Sangai was declared a wildlife sanctuary in 1966 and it was declared a National park in 1977.Since then, people of the locality who depended on vegetables and other natural resources found in the lake were denied access to the lake/park.
During his first term as the Chief Minister of Manipur, N Biren made an announcement that a heritage park would be constructed at Keibul Lamjao and now the heritage park is most likely to be shifted elsewhere.
The Government's change of mind has turned out to be a big disappointment to the people of Keibul Lamjao who hoped to eke out a means of living from the heritage park, Ranjit said.