Imphal, January 17 2009: THE NORTH Imphal United Clubs And Meira Paibees' Organisation has urged the Government of Manipur to change the proposed plan of developing the Industrial Growth Centre (IGC) in Chingarel paddy fields and set it up in the hill areas.

Secretary General of NIUCAMO, Jinjoy Naorem today stated in a press release that the NIUCAMO takes seriously the state overnment's plan of acquiring the vast paddy fields of Chingarel Loukon where about 30,000 people Produce their food to construct an industrial growth centre.

Out of the total areas of 22,327 square kilometres of Manipur, the areas covered by the hills extend as vast as 20,089 square kilometres, and the total area of the valley is only 2,238 square kilometres, Jinjoy stated and pointed out that the total arable areas in the valley would extend as little as just 1,450 square kms.

This little area has been feeding about 24 or 25 lakhs of people in the state.

Out of this little area, about 50,000 Lou Parees had been submerged under water by the Loktak Project.

Over and above all these, vast areas of paddy fields had been destroyed in the name of setting up schools, colleges, brick fields, industries etc.

As a result of destroying vast cultivable land, NIUCAMO's General Secretary further pointed out, a wide-spread habit of living without working has set in the mentality of the people.

This has resulted in daily deaths, lootings, extortions etc.

NIUCAMO takes strong exception to the fact that the Chief Minister and the Agriculture Minister were not paying enough attention to these factors, Jinjoy stated.

He further stated that assurance was given on the floor of the Manipur Legislative Assembly on March 21 of 2005 that no agricultural land would be touched in projects for development.

However, surprisingly, arable lands in the valley are being acquired in the name of setting up NIT, expansion of the airport and the MU, and now establishing Industrial Growth Centre.

With all these in the background, a suspicion arises if the Manipur Assembly has been misled, the press release stated.

Drawing the attention of the Chief Minister, the NIUCAMO General Secretary reminded him that about 500 trucks are bringing in food-grains from outside the state daily, but not a single truck can export food-grains produced in the state outside.

Therefore, it is essential that we must protect the little arable lands that we have, where the people can find work to produce more of our food-grains.

The NIUCAMO further appealed to the government to set up developmental projects in the vast areas of the hills spreading over 20,327 sq kms, thus bringing development and equity in both hills and valley of Manipur on equal level.

Comment