Imphal, Jan 17: The Meitei Alliance has urged Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh and the Government of Manipur to conduct surveys and Investigations to “rectify misappropriated land records” in reserved and protected forest areas, using historical records as the basis for verification.
The alliance submitted a memorandum to the Chief Minister to bring to his attention the critical issue of alleged illegal encroachments and misappropriations of land in reserved and protected forest areas, uncovered during the current Manipur crisis.
“We also acknowledge and deeply appreciate the proactive steps taken by AK Bhalla, the Governor of Manipur, in urging the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL) to expedite highway projects in the state,” the memorandum said.
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It cited encroachments in forest areas as the key concerns, saying that the crisis has revealed significant alleged irregularities involving illegal encroachments into reserved and protected forest lands, reportedly facilitated by corruption and unauthorized officials.
Notable examples include K Songjang Protected Forest (Churachandpur), Khuga Reserved Forest (Churachandpur), and Khamenlok Gwaltabi Reserved Forest (Imphal East), it mentioned and added that the affected area is spanning 31.08 sq km.
Data from the Government of Manipur indicates that the number of villages in the state has nearly doubled, from 1,957 in 1969 to 3,856 in 2023, an increase of 1,899 villages, the memorandum to CM mentioned.
Alarmingly, 87.2% (1,656 villages) of this growth is concentrated in four districts–Chandel, Tengnoupal, Kangpokpi, and Churachandpur, predominantly inhabited by Kuki communities, it cited and added that this raises concerns about potential illegal encroachments into reserved and protected forest areas.
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Publicly available data shows that Manipur has 17,418 sq km of forest land, distributed as reserved forest (1,467 sq km), protected forest (4,171 sq km), and unclassified forest (11,780 sq km).
It is reasonable to infer that many of the newly established villages have illegally encroached on these designated forest areas, the memorandum said.
Failure to address these issues urgently can result in fraudulent compensation claims by illegal encroachers during land acquisitions for national highways development leading to inadvertent legitimisation of encroachments, and long-term environmental and administrative consequences and potential political fallout, and criticism akin to previous administrations, impacting public trust in the current government, it said
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In the memorandum to CM Biren Singh, the alliance further urged for ensuring transparent land compensation by Implementing robust measures to prevent fraudulent payouts to illegal encroachers during land acquisition processes.
“The Meitei diaspora stands united with the people of Manipur and its government in safeguarding the state’s land, forests, and heritage. This is a shared responsibility that transcends political affiliations and demands immediate attention to secure the future of our state. We look forward to your kind consideration and prompt action on this matter,” it added.
(Newmai News Network)
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