Brick manufacturing firms ignoring the potential of harvesting crops— KAAC

Our Correspondent 

Diphu, April 22 (EMN): Several brick manufacturing firms are being set up along the Diphu-Manja areas but this is absorbing cultivable fertile land, an official of the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council (KAAC).

“Cultivable land in and around 5th Mile, Diphu-Manja road, of Nihang Rongkethe village are currently being destroyed by turning into bricks manufacturing firms ignoring the potential of harvesting crops,” said Amarsing Tisso, an executive member for Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Resources of the KAAC, during a visit to the places on Sunday.

It was for the second time that Tisso was visiting the effected places where cultivable lands are being used for manufacturing bricks. He saw a land belonging to one Timung of Nihang Rongkethe village, where the plot of land was dug out the size a field and the ‘accumulated earth mounds like hills.’

Tisso also went to see Vikash bricks factory where he saw earth being dug out and ‘accumulated like hills’ for manufacturing bricks.

Though it does not belong to government land, Tisso’s intention of visiting such places was because he wanted to stop the process of destroying cultivable land just for the sake of manufacturing bricks.

“The top soil has fertility and by tuning into bricks manufacturing sites are destroying it. Land in plan areas which have fertility should not convert into factory sites,” said Tisso, “but should be used for cultivation. Production of food grains is depleting and the demand for food grains is also souring, but men are not bothered of wasting agricultural land for setting up of factories.”

By addressing the matter to concerned officials for land revenue of KAAC, Tisso said, “Such mindless activities of destroying the agricultural land for cultivation has to be stopped.” He urged people not to convert agricultural land for factory purpose but to use it for cultivation.

“Price for a brick in these firms cost INR 7.50 whereas, in Nagaon, Dimapur, Lumding, and Hojai cost INR 5.50. Why is this different? The price of brick should be uniform with the other places,” Tisso argued.

“These brick factories may not carry out norms as per the pollution control board of emanating black smokes from chimney,” Tisso added.