Manipur Revenue Minister Karam Shyam launched a website for implementation of the Manipur Conservation of Paddy Land & Wetland Act, 2014 that depicts baseline data (satellite image of September 2014 with cadastral data) in Imphal on Saturday.
The website contains data bank with details of the paddy land along with survey numbers with the help of the map prepared on the basis of satellite pictures.
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The website was prepared by the Manipur Remote Sensing Applications Centre (MARSAC), Department of Science & Technology (DST) for Revenue Department, Government of Manipur with assistance from ISRO.
Revenue Secretary T Ranjit, Deputy Secretary Y Rajen and MARSAC officials were present during the day’s launching function.
Speaking to reporters, Minister Karam Shyam stated that the paddy land data bank would prove a key solution for those homeless people who are genuinely in need of land to construct houses and at the same time, also curb the menace of illegal activities and construction by the public against law and without prior permission of the Government, hence killing two birds with one stone.
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He also appealed to the public to extend full co-operation as all the steps and activities taken up by the Government are solely in the interest of the public and their welfare.
There was ban on class change and implementation of the Manipur Conservation of Paddy Land & Wetland Act, 2014 without a proper paddy land data bank, he added. Steps are in the pipeline to lift the ban by discussing the issue in the Cabinet, he assured.
A presentation was also given by a MARSAC official that highlights the benefits of superimposing baseline satellite images with cadastral data in monitoring the agriculture/wetland areas for every season whether conversion or reclamation of paddy land/wetland is violated or not.
Pointing out the norms under Section 20 of the Manipur Land Revenue & Land Reforms Act 1960, Y Rajen said that if any person holding land is granted permission to divert such land or part of it by the competent authority, such persons would pay fee to the State Government at Rs 25 per sq m in case of diversion agricultural land for non-residential purposes. “In case of diversion of agricultural land for non-residential purpose, the fee is Rs 100 per sq m,” he added.
It may be mentioned that the Manipur Conservation of Paddy Land and Wetland Act 2014 was enacted with primary objective to conserve the paddy land and wetland and to restrict the conversion or reclamation in order to promote growth of agricultural sector in the State of Manipur. The Act came into force from September 10,2014.