LOUSAL seeks details on area for non-agricultural usage
Source: Chronicle News Service

Imphal, August 30 2022: Loumee Sinmee Apunba Lup (LOUSAL) has demanded the government to make public the details of area permitted for construction of infrastructures such as private hospitals, multi-storeyed residential complexes and commercial shopping malls on paddy land under the Manipur Conservation of Wetland and Paddy Land Act 2014.Addressing a press meet at HERICOUN office here on Tuesday, LOUSAL president Mutum Churamani said that the area of agricultural land in the state has been shrinking at a rapid pace.

After passing the Manipur Conservation of Wetland and Paddy Land Act 2014, the government amended the Act in May 2018 permitting utilisation of up to 0.32 acre for construction of petrol pumps and LPG warehouses.

Later, the government amended the Act in January 2019 permitting construction of multi-storeyed residential complexes and commercial shopping malls.

Again, in November 2019, the Act was amended adding private hospitals in the list of permitted structures.

However, the two latest amendments did not mention the area permitted for construction of private hospitals, multi-storeyed residential complex and commercial shopping malls.

All these structures require vast area of land and not having a limit in the land area leaves room for exploiting the Act and it will lead to further loss of agricultural land as those, who could build such structures are wealthy people with strong political backing, he said.

Slamming the government for not keeping its words on preserving the agricultural land by making a series of amendment and adding more infrastructure projects in the permitted list, he said that it will not be long before the government makes another amendment to add private schools in the list of permitted structures.

There are already several private schools in and adjacent to agricultural land and the government is doing nothing to protect agricultural land, he said.

Churamani further informed that LOUSAL had filed an application to the revenue commissioner seeking details on the land area limit for construction of private hospitals, multi-storeyed residential complexes and commercial shopping malls on agricultural land, on August 26.Unless the government provides the details, the organisation will seek legal assistance so as to protect the right of the farmers, he added.

He also drew attention of the government towards the need for exploring possibilities of bringing the mole hills in the valley areas under the revenue department so that developmental and commercial structures could be constructed on these hills in order to protect the agricultural land.

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