Realizing the importance of Forest and Environment
- Imphal Times Editorial :: September 15 2018 -

Ringui villagers have done; its upto Forest department to built peoples’ trust

Development is a multi dimensional concept covering political, economic, social, cultural, spatial, scientific, technological, moral, spiritual, ecological and environment development.

Everybody is aware of the ecological deterioration and environment degradation, but none acted to do something to save it.

Every pedestrians see plastic bottle, and other waste scattered in our footpath.

But, ‘blame’ to those who threw it or perhaps to the government authority is the reaction.

He or she will not pick it up to throw it to the right place. There are many who talks saving our environment, rivers and forest.

But everyday the thousand people dump their waste at the roadsides, threw garbage at the river smuggled woods using any unfair means.

Some waited for camera to take a shot while planting a sapling to show their love for the mother nature but will never look back to see whether the sapling he or she planted is grown.

It is we human being, which is responsible for the crime committee towards the nature.

The recent flood across the country including Manipur is fall out of what we human being had committee for hundreds of years.

Deterioration of nature is more committee to less develop and developing countries.

City based intellectuals who visited only once or twice to complete their thesis keep blaming the ignorance of the common people who have less knowledge of saving the environment as survival is more important for them. Schemes and projects always turn a flop show as they were prepared on table without studying the need of the people residing in interior forest land.

And the money which are meant for the environment are gold mine for those working on the table.

The state of Manipur has witness five times devastating flood since N. Biren Singh took charge of Chief Miister.

Discussions over the issue blamed the people in the Hill area who never had any knowledge of how much money has been sanctioned for the preservation of the forest land in their respective land.

Perhaps for the first time in the history of Manipur , A villager from Ringui in Ukhrul district donated around 600 ares of land for plantation work to a society.

Though the village is far from Imphal with limited access of Education, they have showed their enthusiasm in protecting the environment and rebuilding a forest.

Forest and Environment Minister, Th Shyamkumar assurance to make the piece of land as a forest zone need to be converted into action.

The good service of the villagers of Ringui will not make their village famous but will help in reducing the global warming, even though it might effect only .00001%.

But the villagers have set an example. If more villages in the state of Manipur started donating land for plantation of trees than Manipur will set another example in the protection of the environment in the whole country.

What remain skeptical is the sincerity of the forest department authority.

Well the challenges before the country particularly in the state of Manipur is to preserve and protect the natural environment or revive it where it has been degraded.

It must be remembered that the problem of environmental degradation is social problem which has to be solved by the people themselves with some sort of policy and programme from the government

A short term course in Ecology and Environment al Awareness should be arranged for the benefit of the elected representatives starting from PRI, Municipalities, corporation, MLAs, MPs, Development planners and administrators which would give them a proper understanding of nature, the important of flora and fauna and other natural resources especially forest wealth and their management.

The recent series of activities taken up by Forest and Environment Minister Th. Shyamkumar showed his enthusiasm to save the environment.

He indeed is a man of action but only enthusiasm and action will not help what he wanted as awareness is also important to make all people understand the importance of protecting forest.

For that broadcasting environment programme on television and radio at least for 10 to 20 minutes everyday in prime time.

Besides, placing of hoarding with communicable languages in almost all districts of the state will help people thinking about the importance of Forest and our environment.

Traditional media like folk media should also be utilized as this medium is still popular among the villages.

Not the least but yesterday’s gesture of the Ringui village need to be appreciated by all and people are watching if the Forest and Environment Minister acts to built trust to the people.