PREPAK concerned over environment
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, June 04 2014: Expressing concern over environment degradation and ever increasing global warming, People's Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak (PREPAK) has pledged support to global campaigns being initiated at different parts of the world as part of observing the World Environment Day.

In a statement, PREPAK's Publicity and Propaganda Assistant Secretary Leibak Ngakpa Luwang said that Kangleipak (Manipur) is rich in natural resources.

However, Kangleipak has been witnessing rapid loss of forest areas due to the negligence of the Government in the past few years, Leibak Ngakpa alleged.

Although, the Government claims that Kangleipak still has 22 Protected Forests, these forest areas exist only for the name sake, he said and added that the State has lost all the Primary Forest areas as well.

Absence of Primary Forests testifies that Kangleipak has reached the alarming level of environment degradation, he pointed out.

Leibak Ngakpa said that hill ranges that spread from Koubru hill to hills of Senapati district in the northern side have become barren while hills in Tamenglong, Churachandpur and Chandel districts that spread from Thangjing hill are also facing the same fate.

Leibak Ngakpa further claimed that Kangleipak is losing 18 hectares of forest every week and 1 sq km of forest area every day.

He said that it is evident from satellite images that the State has lost more than 190 sq kms of forest area in the past 2-3 years.

34 reserved forests, 20 protected reserved forests and 22 protected forest areas which existed before Kangleipak lost 'independence' have now become history and these forest areas exist only on papers now, Leibak Ngakpa said.

He also rejected State Government's claim that Manipur still has 17418 sq km of forest out of which 1467 sq km is reserved forest and 11780 sq km is un-classed forest including 4171 sq km of proposed reserved forest.

Saying that despite constant efforts to restrict it, human habitation is expanding day after day in valley areas and there is no sign of protecting forests in hill areas, Leibak Ngakpa said that the Government must spell out its stand at the earliest regarding the issue.

Constant diminishing of wetlands and agriculture lands has given a great impact to the livelihood of indigenous people of Kangleipak, Leibak Ngakpa said.

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