The National Green Tribunal or NGT has sprung into action following a social media post by Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh, shedding light on the alarming decline in forest cover in the State due to deforestation and illicit opium poppy cultivation.
CM Biren’s post on X highlighted a stark reality: Manipur’s forest cover, which stood at 17,475 sq km in 1987, had dwindled to 16,598 sq km by 2021. The post further revealed that a staggering 877 sq km of forest cover had been obliterated, primarily to facilitate the illicit cultivation of opium poppy.
Taking cognizance of this significant environmental issue, the NGT has deemed it a matter of utmost importance.
“Some mind-boggling data… evictions from the reserved and protected forests were carried out throughout the State. It was never targeted towards any particular community,” the BJP CM had said in the post which included an explainer video.
The NGT’s Principal Bench in Delhi taking cognisance of the data released by the CM said they raised “substantial issue relating to compliance of environmental norms”.
“The news item relates to the substantial decrease in the area of forest in the state of Manipur. As per the article, the forest cover in the State has been reduced from 17,475 sq km in 1987 to 16,598 sq km in 2021, which shows a decrease of 877 sq km of forest cover,” stated the NGT.
“It further states that this has happened mainly due to deforestation and opium poppy cultivation. The news item further refers to data from the Manipur Remote Sensing Applications Centre, which says that the area of opium poppy cultivation in Manipur has declined by 60 per cent since 2021,” it said.
The Bench of NGT Chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava, and expert member Dr A Senthil Vel then impleaded themselves as respondents in the matter, after which the NGT sent notices to the Ministry of Environment and Forests or MoEF and the Forest Survey of India-FSI.
The NGT in the notices said the MoEF and the FSI should reply within a week, and listed the matter for hearing on July 31.
The NGT said its Principal Bench is already considering the issue of loss of forest land across the country.
An insider in the Manipur Government informed there had been strong pushback from the Kuki-Zo tribes when forest officials went to clear alleged encroachments months before violence began in May 2023.
“Those who have encroached upon forest lands would approach the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes every time enforcement action began. We are exploring legal options to check misrepresentation to the Commission by the encroachers,” said a senior official, requesting anonymity.
