IMPHAL/UKHRUL: The Manipur Forest Department has identified 307 hectares of poppy cultivation in Senapati, Churachandpur and Chandel districts and is preparing to launch destruction operations, as it steps up its crackdown on illegal cultivation, forest destruction and unauthorised mining ahead of the dry season.
Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF) Anurag Bajpai said the department was finalising a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to prevent poppy cultivation in forest areas, while warning that anyone involved in illegal tree felling, mining or the exploitation of forest resources would face stringent action.
Addressing a press conference at the Forest Headquarters in Sanjenthong, Imphal, on Friday, Bajpai said the latest survey had identified 307 hectares of poppy cultivation, with further surveys underway to detect additional areas.
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The department restarted its survey in mid-September, anticipating the poppy-growing season, which begins in the higher reaches in October before extending to middle and lower elevations in November and December.
The latest survey began around 10 days ago, using drones for surveillance. The department has been using drones for such operations since 2018.
“We share the information with the police and also file FIRs and Forest Offence Reports. We take on board the paramilitary forces and the Narcotics Department, and the destruction will take place in the coming days,” Bajpai said.
He described poppy cultivation as a serious threat not only to forest areas but also to society, stressing that repeated destruction alone might not provide a lasting solution because poppy seeds can remain dormant in the soil and germinate in subsequent years.
The department is exploring scientific methods to prevent the plant from growing, including identifying alternative plant species that could grow faster and suppress poppy cultivation.
Alongside enforcement, the Forest Department is focusing on alternative livelihoods to discourage villagers from returning to poppy cultivation.
Bajpai said village chiefs were being counselled to abandon the illegal practice, while bamboo plantations were being raised in areas where poppy cultivation had been destroyed.
During the 2024–25 and 2025–26, the department had brought around 255 hectares of poppy-destroyed land under bamboo plantations.
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The department is also exploring other livelihood opportunities to help affected communities move away from poppy cultivation.
In a major disciplinary action, the department has suspended all 12 frontline field staff posted at the Yairipok Beat Office in Thoubal district following reports of the felling of more than 100 pine trees in the last week of September.
Bajpai said the staff were suspended on September 26 and an inquiry was underway to establish the circumstances surrounding the incident.
The inquiry report is expected within a few days, after which further action will be taken based on its findings, he said.
Issuing a stern warning, the PCCF said the department would not spare anyone involved in illegal tree felling, regardless of whether the person was a government official or a member of the public.
“Nobody will be spared. Whether it is a government official or a member of the public, if there is illegal felling, stringent action will be taken,” he said.
Bajpai also warned against unauthorised mining and earth cutting, saying such activities could cause serious environmental damage and would invite legal action.
He said mining could not be undertaken without a proper mining plan and the required approvals from the competent authorities.
The department, he added, was committed to preventing the exploitation of natural resources for private gain.
“These are natural resources, and every member of the public has a right to them. We are custodians of public resources. If anyone exploits them for personal interests without proper approvals, action will be taken as per law,” Bajpai said.
Despite its extensive forest resources, Manipur recorded a loss of around 50 square kilometres of forest cover, according to the Forest Survey of India’s assessment for 2023, published in 2024.
Bajpai said the state’s forest cover stood at approximately 74 per cent, with Churachandpur and Kangpokpi among the districts that recorded the largest losses.
The next assessment, covering 2025, is expected to provide an updated picture of the state’s forest cover.
He identified forest fires, shifting cultivation and development projects as major factors contributing to forest loss.
Manipur recorded around 6,000 forest-fire incidents in the previous year, he said, adding that road construction and other development projects could also trigger vegetation loss, soil erosion and landslides.
Around 600 hectares of forest land had reportedly been diverted for development projects in the previous year. The department is undertaking plantations and compensatory afforestation to mitigate the damage.
“A forest can be cut within one day, but it cannot be grown within one day,” Bajpai said, underscoring the long-term consequences of forest destruction.
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With the dry season beginning in October, the department has stepped up preparations to tackle forest fires, illegal felling, wildlife trafficking and cross-border smuggling of forest produce.
Bajpai said standard operating procedures had been issued to Divisional Forest Officers, with instructions to strengthen community participation, establish village-level Forest Fire Prevention Committees and improve early-warning systems.
Around 9,500 people across forest divisions are connected to the department’s SMS alert system. The Forest Headquarters also operates a control room with round-the-clock telephone services to coordinate responses to forest fires.
On smuggling, he identified Myanmar timber, including teak, and areca nuts as major products illegally transported across the international border.
The department is coordinating with the Assam Rifles, police and intelligence agencies to identify vulnerable routes and prevent illegal movements.
Bajpai said the department’s revenue had increased from around ₹30 crore in 2023–24 to ₹38 crore in 2024–25 and more than ₹47 crore in 2025–26, attributing the rise partly to intensified enforcement against smuggling and the seizure and auction of forest produce.
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Forest personnel have also been conducting daily foot patrols, with geotagged photographs submitted to ensure that their activities are monitored.
Responding to allegations that individuals claiming to represent the Forest Minister were collecting money in the name of a so-called legal tax, Bajpai said the department had already filed an FIR with the police.
He clarified that the Forest Department operates through officially notified range offices, beat offices and checkposts, and that unauthorised individuals collecting money in its name were impostors.
He urged the public and media to report such incidents to the department or police for necessary action.
