Imphal, May 21 2009: Barely couple of days after the state Cabinet adopted decision to evict all illegal dwellers of government Reserve Forest Areas, concerned district administrations have been instructed to take up necessary measures for the eviction of 29 villages in government Reserve Forest Areas.

According to an official source, the state forest department has forwarded the list of 29 villages and 2, 799 places utilised by individuals in government Reserve Forest Areas of the state.

Most of the individual lands in the areas have been acquired after 1980 while only some of them have been acquired prior to 1980 .

The illegal settlements in reserve forest areas in Tengnoupal Forest Division include 11 villages in Yangen Ching Reserve Forest, 7 villages in Kangbung Reserve Forest Area, and 11 villages in Longya Reserve Forest Area.

The places utilised by individuals in reserve forest under the Central Forest Division include 24 locations in Chingkhei Ching, 41 sites in Khamenlok Gwalatabi Reserve Forest Area, 25 places in Laiching Reserve Forest Area, 13 locations in Yaingangpokpi Forest Area, one in Khema Reserve Forest Area, 35 in Sambei Purum Reserve Forest Area, 68 in Nongmaiching Reserve Forest Area, 520 in Langol Reserve Forest Area.

In Thoubal Forest Division, 40 locations have been utilised by individuals in Garok Reserve Forest, 10 in Heirok Chingdok Reserve Forest Area, 105 places in Waikhong Paine Reserve Forest Area, and 275 in Thongam Mondum Forest Area.

Under Jiribam Forest Division, 10 houses in Jiri-Maku Reserve Forest Area, 4 houses in Jirimukh Reserve Forest Area, 7 houses in Vangai Reserve Forest Area have been forwarded by the forest department as illegal settlers.

Under the Southern Forest Division, 647 places have been under individual utilisations in Dampi Reserve Forest Area, 93 in Cheklaphai Forest Area, and 60 places in Telbung Reserve Forest Area.

598 places in KK Reserve Forest Area and 30 places in Kangchup Reserve Forest Area are listed by the forest department in the Northern Forest Division.

The source further mentioned that no individual settler or any government office is allowed to be constructed in government reserve forest areas.

In case of the necessity arising for setting up of government's developmental project, the permission of the Ministry of Forest must be obtained and the cost of the piece of land should be paid.

The forest dwellers have began settling in forest areas in small numbers but some villages have 50-100 households now, the source said.

Following strict direction from the Ministry of Forest which observed that the settlers have caused ecological imbalance in the reserve forest areas, the state Cabinet has also been giving its approval for the eviction of the settlers, the source noted.

Though the forest area dwellers have settled in the areas since 1980, no compensation will be given to them for evicting the individual households as they inhabit the land illegally, the source further said.

The district administrations have also been instructed to inform the forest area settlers to vacate their respective houses in advance.

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