Naga body backs Manipur Government drive against forest encroachment 

The Naga Youth Forum, Manipur alleged that illegal villages encroaching on forest land were mostly in Kuki-Zomi dominated districts, while Naga-dominated districts saw a fall in the number of villages

A Naga organisation has backed the Manipur Government’s crackdown on alleged poppy-growing encroachers of forest lands and called for a mass social movement to address the present “artificial socio-political issue” created by vested interests. 

The Naga Youth Forum, Manipur (NYFM) asserted that an attempt to control land and resources has been translated into a movement demanding a separate political status, referring to the demand for an autonomous council for ethnic groups which are often viewed as settlers from Myanmar.

The NYFM asked the BJP-led State Government to “identify and delete fictitious villages”, holders of “bogus Aadhaar cards and voter identity cards” and enact appropriate laws for recognising new villages. 

In a statement issued on the evening of March 14, NYFM president Amu Pamei said forest cover loss has been a major concern for Manipur. Citing the India Forest Report of 2021, he said that the State recorded a forest cover loss of 249 sq. km between 2019 and 2021, while the country as a whole gained 2,261 sq. km of forest and tree cover during this period. 

“Deforestation to facilitate poppy cultivation has been mainly responsible for the forest cover loss,” he said, pointing out that the war on drugs launched by the Nongthombam Biren Singh government led to the unearthing of poppy fields and illegal settlements in protected areas.

ALSO READ | Data | Assam, Arunachal and Mizoram saw the biggest increases in encroachment of forest land in past two decades

“Many new villages, both recognised and unrecognised, have been detected in the follow-up investigation. There have been instances where 10 villages in different districts under a single village chief have been recognised,” Mr. Pamei said.