Forest encroachers will be evicted : CM
Source: Hueiyen News Service

Imphal, July 04 2009: On the occasion of celebration of 60th Vanamahotsava in the state, Chief Minister O Ibobi said that the government will take steps to evict encroachers from the reserved forest areas as encroaching the protected forest areas is an illegal act.

Speaking as chief guest at a function organised by the state Forest Department at Kheba Ching, Khongjom as part of observance of Vanamahotsava, Ibobi said there is no law in the country which can obstruct in evicting the encroachers from the reserved forest areas.

The government has a plan to evict all the illegal encroachers from the reserved forest areas.

Chief Minister O Ibobi watering a tree sapling at Kheba Cheeng, Khongjom

As part of the government's plan, illegal occupants of land in the protected forest areas from Ushoipokpi to Tangjeng in Thoubal district will be shifted to other places.

The government will arrange alternative place for them, he said.

At the same time, the Chief Minister also recalled that if the government wants to take up a project costing more than Rs 50 crores, clearance from the Union Ministry of Forest and Environment will have to be obtained first.

Therefore, fencing in the Manipur section of the international border with Myanmar is not yet able to be taken up even though the funds for the project had already been released, he said.

With a view to reducing deforestation in the hill areas of the state, the government is trying hard to press the Union Ministry of Petroleum to increase state quota of cooking gas so that it could be made readily available in the hill areas, the Chief Minister added.

He further said that state government is in search of an alternative means for controlling jhumm cultivation in the hill areas which is the main result behind the depleting of forest coverage in the hills.

Chief Minister Ibobi also released the statistics booklet of Manipur Forest 2008-09 on the occasion.

Minister of Forest and Environment, Revenue and Law, Th Debendro, MLAs Y Surchandra and M Hemanta and forest officials were the guests of honour.

MLA M Hemanta, speaking on the occasion observed that it would be hard to launch campaign for preservation of forest and maintaining work culture in Manipur as the people remain engaged in sit-in protest and other forms of protests most of the time.

The government is worried as works taken up by it were not taken seriously by the people while the people are blaming the government of not responding to their demands, he said.

MLA Y Surchandra observed that instead of planting trees as fashion on certain occasions, it would be better to plant trees for growing.

The Chief Minister distributed prizes to the winners of the essay competition held on June 21 under the aegis of Forest Department.