Afforestation vision limited to Imphal valley!
- The People's Chronicle Editorial :: October 26, 2024 -

OF the few notable decisions taken by the state cabinet on Thursday, the resolution to declare the sacred Heibok Ching (Hillock) as a reserved forest under Section 4 of the Indian Forest Act, 1927, will definitely help replenish the green cover in the Imphal valley, which is rapidly turning into a concrete jungle to support the burgeoning population.

With an eye on lessening impact from the impending global warming phenomenon and in pursuit of the campaign for conservation of the environment and biodiversity, the government took the decision to uphold sanctity of Heibok Ching, in Langthabal area of Imphal West district.

As had been pointed out to the media by government spokesman and IPR minister Dr Sapam Ranjan after the cabinet meeting, the decision to declare Heibok Ching as a reserved forest is to maintain its reverence and existing greenery, and initiate projects deemed necessary to protect the hillock.

Along with confiding that the government aims to preserve the unique landscape and ecological value of the hillock, no matter how tiny it is compared to the other hillocks across the valley districts, he informed that the cabinet green flagged conduct of surveys of the hammocks in the valley districts, many of which are bereft of forest cover due to deforestation and excavation.

Similar to the Cheiraoching of the Langol hill range that stretches from the densely populated Iroisemba till Koirengei, Heibokching too is flanked by human settlements on both sides.

As the former hillock has been rejuvenated to a fair extent due to constant vigil and concerted efforts of youth organisations of Thangmeiband in collaboration with the Forest Department, the decision to give the reserved forest tag to Heibokching should be followed up by engaging the local organisations without which it is unlikely that the forest department alone would be able to bring any significant change.

Moreover, the cabinet's decision to categorise mounds/hillocks as either reserved or protected forests based on report by survey committees, underscores that the government has firm resolve to protect the existing forests in the valley districts even if its reach in the hill districts had been insignificant.

For instance in 2022, joint teams of forest department, police and voluntary organisations were barred by villagers in Kangpokpi and Churachandpur districts from carrying out tree plantation programmes in connection with the observance of World Environment Day in reserved forests.

The locals raised objection to the green drive on the ground that the areas identified for planting tree saplings belong to the villages.

Persistent attempts by the accompanying forest department officials to reason that the said areas fall under reserved and protected forests went unheeded compelling the teams to leave the locations.

Outright denunciation as and when the government plans to evict officially unrecognised villages in reserved and protected forests and stray incidents of clashes between villagers and eviction teams in the hostile regions leave nothing to doubt about jurisdictional limitation of the establishment when it comes to the interior areas in the hill districts.

While it is understandable that the government cannot always use brutal force in executing its policies and programmes, the administration should focus on launching eviction of illegal settlements and carrying out afforestation projects at the hill ranges closest to the valley districts as any threat to eviction and plantation teams could be neutralised effectively with swift reinforcement, if necessary, and then hope that communities settling in the hill districts would realise importance and urgency of afforesting the hill ranges they had rendered treeless for agricultural purposes or for other illegal but profitable ventures.