Organisations oppose Govt's bird sanctuary move
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, January 31 2019:
Three organisations have raised strong objections to the State Government's initiative of declaring Thinungei and surrounding areas as a bird sanctuary.
The Joint Action Committee Against the Announcement of Thinungei Bird Sanctuary, the All Loktak Lake Area Fishermen Union and the Loktak Lake Fishermen Association have urged the Government to explore an alternative site for the bird sanctuary.
Speaking to media persons at Manipur Press Club here on January 29, JAC secretary Naorem Rupachandra said that the State Government declared an area of 103.10 hectares adjoining Thinungei village as the Thinungei Bird Sanctuary through a gazette notification issued on January 3.But the area declared as bird sanctuary by the Government is the main source of livelihood for fishermen and peasants alike.
Declaration of the particular area as a bird sanctuary which provides the main source of livelihood to around 250 households of Thinungei is unreasonable and it appeared that the same initiative was driven by political considerations, Rupachandra said.
The notification mentions that a large number of tourists including foreigners would visit the bird sanctuary and it would alleviate economic condition of the local people but how long the tourists would provide livelihood to the local people, he asked.
He then urged the State Government to translocate the bird sanctuary to another place.
Noting that one United Committee of Thinungei was heard welcoming the Thinungei Bird Sanctuary, Loktak Lake Fishermen Association secretary Keisham Bhogen alleged that no member of the committee are either fisherman or farmer.
It is also not known whether the newly constituted committee has been registered or not, Bhogen said.