Safe Environment Campaign Committee, Heingang appeals
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, June 24 2021:
Safe Environment Campaign Committee, Heingang Panthoibi Lampak, Imphal East, in a statement urged the Government of.
Manipur particularly the Forest Department to take stringent actions against all those involved in illegal excavation of hills.
The committee stated that it has been almost three years since the High Court, Manipur banned all forms of illegal excavations in Manipur irrespective of locations by its order dated 27th July 2018 in the PlL Case 25 of 2017 .
Although the ban order of the High Court went down heavily on the age-old illegal excavation practice in general, the Forest Department, Manipur is still struggling to check forest crimes committed.
by elected people in power and their close aides, it alleged.
Surprisingly, most of the illegal excavation of hills that happened in the State are committed either by elected people in power or by their aides.
As such there had been many instances where forest staff on duty were threatened and victimised for standing against the wish of these powerful people, it alleged.
The recent illegal excavations that took place in some parts of Nongmaiching and Chingkheiching Reserved Forests are vivid examples of such incidents.
The Safe Environment Campaign Committee appealed to the State Government to take stringent actions against all those involved in illegal excavations, irrespective of status in compliance of the High Court of Manipur's order, failing which the committee may approach the High Court for contempt proceedings.