IMPHAL: A total of 877 square kilometres of forest cover in Manipur were destroyed in a span of 34 years between 1987 and 2021.
This was stated by Manipur chief minister N Biren Singh, while laying out “some mind boggling data” of forest cover in the Northeast state in 1987 and 2021.
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Manipur CM N Biren Singh said that while the forest cover in the state in 1987 was 17,475 sq km, it reduced to 16,598 in 2021.
The Manipur chief minister primarily blamed poppy cultivation for the loss of forest cover in the state during the 34-year period.
“877 square kilometres of forest cover were destroyed, primarily for the cultivation of poppy,” Manipur CM N Biren Singh said.
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However, he claimed that since the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power in Manipur in 2017, the state government evicted 291 ‘encroachers’ from forest lands.
“Evictions from the reserve forest and protected forest were carried out throughout the state,” said Manipur CM N Biren Singh.
He clarified that the eviction drives carried out by the Manipur government were “never targeted towards any particular community”.
Earlier, Manipur chief minister N Biren Singh sounded alarm over “unnatural growth” of 996 new villages in the state, attributing it to illegal immigration.
Manipur CM N Biren Singh said that such “unnatural growth” of new villages due to “illegal immigration” poses threat to indigenous communities and national security.
The Manipur chief minister questioned: “Will anyone accept the unnatural growth of new villages and population, causing massive changes to the demography in their own state or country due to the influx of illegal immigrants?”
He claimed that the Northeast state of Manipur is confronting a “serious issue”, where several “new villages have emerged due to a massive influx of illegal immigrants from Myanmar since 2006 till date”.
CM Biren Singh claimed that creation of new villages by “illegal immigrats” led to destruction of forest cover, “as well as carry out poppy plantations”.