Forest Department tootless: MMTU
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, October 18 2026: The Meetei (Meitei) Tribe Union (MMTU) has claimed that the Forest Department has become toothless in the hill districts of the State.

In a statement issued by its secretary (organisation) Takhellambam Parijat Meitei, the Union alleged that the Forest Department facilitated the settlement of illegal immigrants from Myanmar in the reserved and protected forest areas of Manipur while turning a blind eye to deforestation and the widespread cultivation of poppy.

Such activities of the Forest Department led to the worsening of the issue of illegal immigration in the State, it claimed.

Stating that the forest cover of Manipur has been shrinking over the years, the MMTU claimed that the Forest Department has become toothless in the hill districts of the State.

According to the Union, 21,100 hectares of forest area were deforested between 2021 and 2025 .

Claiming that widespread poppy cultivation had turned Manipur into a region resembling the Golden Triangle, the Union alleged that funds generated from the drug trade are being used to fuel narco-terrorism, which has contributed to the ongoing ethnic conflict and climate change.

It alleged that around 2,500 unauthorised villages have emerged in Manipur, including in areas falling under Reserved and Protected Forests.

The MMTU questioned whether the Forest Department had taken any action against the construction of roads in the Koubru hill range and the Gwaltabi and Khamenlok Reserved Forest areas.

It also questioned whether the Forest Department had intervened when the construction of the German Road/Tiger Road began to connect Churachandpur and Kangpokpi.

The Union stated that the construction of the controversial road was halted following complaints lodged by various civil society organisations with the National Green Tribunal (NGT) .

Comment