Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh on Saturday warned illegal land encroachers to remove any sort of structures constructed on government lands, including paddy lands.
The chief minister was speaking at his reception ceremony jointly organised by BJP Khundrakpam Mandal and Peace and Development Co-ordinating Committee at Lainingthou Puthiba ground, Yumnam Khunou, Imphal East.
People should avoid illegal land encroachment and the government is going to continue to conduct the drive against such encroachments in the entire Manipur, including the surroundings of Loktak lake area, he said.
Biren said illegal land encroachers who are constructing illegal structures on paddy fields will be booked if they fail to remove the structures immediately.
The government is conducting an eviction drive only for illegal land encroachers, he said. If the government has to remove those who already own patta land, then a notice will be served to them in advance with proper land compensation amount, he added.
Biren further said that people are facing flash floods in every monsoon season due to illegal land encroachment near the river banks and illegal construction on the drainage. Encroachments should be stopped not only in the valley but in hill areas as well, Biren warned.
To build a better ecosystem, he appealed to the people not to cut trees in the hills except for the ones which are old enough to be used, he added.
Meanwhile, Member of district monitoring committee Mutum Churamani who is also president of LOUSAL and a local of Kairang said that though the chief minister had appealed to conserve paddy land, it is unfortunate that some people of Kairang are putting foundation soils in the middle of ‘Phouren Loukol’ (best paddy farm soil).
During a field visit along with locals of Kairang on Saturday, it was noticed that soil was being put in some paddy fields of Kairang loukol (paddy field) to construct houses or other structures.
Churamani said that Manipur Paddy Land and Wetland Act, 2014 will be made to function effectively and it will be a part of 100 days programme of the new BJP government.
Despite the CM's statement to strengthen the Act, the number of construction sites has been increasing, he said, while raising concern that the number of illegal constructions on paddy fields within the Heingang assembly constituency has been increasing.
Moreover, rich people have started constructing houses in the middle of the paddy field. Drawing the attention of the chief minister, he said that the government should look into the matter seriously before strengthening the Act, he added.
Churamani appealed to the government to remove those structures constructed on the paddy fields of Kairang as a part of the 100 days programme of the new government.
