Minister keen to take up afforestation work
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, April 04 2017:
With a view to check further environmental degradation, Horticulture, Forest and Environment Minister Th Shyamkumar has expressed keen desire to take up extensive afforestation works in the reserved forest areas of Andro and Nungkot in Imphal East district.
Th Shyamkumar and officials of his department today made a spot assessment of the hill areas of Andro and Nungkot.
Speaking to media persons, Shyamkumar said that an eco-friendly project comprising of floriculture and extensive afforestation works on deforested hill tops/slops would be taken up at Andro and Nungkot.
Such a project can provide drinking water as well as water for irrigation out of water which flows down from hill slopes.
Th Shyamkumar stated that similar projects would be taken up in other hill areas of the State.
The new Government is more interested in deeds rather than words, he asserted.
Acknowledging the uniqueness of Khwairamband Ima Keithel, Shyamkumar said necessary steps have been initiated to keep the market complexes neat and clean under Swachh Bharat Mission.
There is no connection between allotment of vendor licences and the ongoing cleanliness drive.
No Minister has the authority to issue vendor licences.
Only the Imphal Municipal Corporation can issue vendor licences, he said.
Once the beautification work is completed, all the vendors would be shifted inside the market complexes and no one would be allowed to vend goods outside market sheds, Shyamkumar said.
He went on to assure that the beautification work would be completed within two months.
The Government may consider prohibiting all males from entering Ima Keithels with the exception of customers in order to preserve its unique characteristics, he added.