Our Correspondent
Imphal, Jan. 27 (EMN): Picnicking, trekking, camping, expedition or gathering inside the reserved forest areas of Manipur have been prohibited by the state Forest department, citing the increased incidences of forest fire in the last couple of weeks.
The divisional forest officer, Kangpokpi Forest Division, N Ganesh, issued an order in this regard on January 26, prohibiting setting up of fire and trespassing inside Reserved Forest areas, citing the increased incidences of forest fire.
The order prohibited the general public from carrying out activities such as camping, picnicking, trekking, expedition and gathering inside the Kanglatongbi Kangpokpi Reserved Forest.
On January 23, divisional forest officer RK Amarjit Singh of Central Forest Division, in a similar order stated that, “It has been reported that incidences of forest fire in the 10 Reserved forests of this Forest division is increasing as the ongoing dry season approaches its peak.”
“In most of the incidences reported, the causes of forest fire in these reserved forests are attributed to camping, picnicking, trekking, expedition, gathering etc inside the reserved forests, wherein people set fire on the forest floor, which inadvertently spread to other areas of the forests in uncontrolled manner, thereby causing irreparable loss to the forest ecosystem and wildlife,” the order stated.
Activities without permission within the Langol & Langol Extension Reserved Forest, Heingang Reserved Forest, Chingkheiching Reserved Forest, Nongmaiching Reserved Forest, Khema Reserved Forest, Sambei Purum Reserved Forest, Khamenlok Gwaltabi Reserved Forest, Yaingangpokpi Reserved Forest and Laiching Reserved Forest, have been strictly prohibited under Section 26 of the Indian Forest Act 1927.
On January 20 this year, the Forest officials and experts had also discussed about framing a jhum regulation policy to control the forest fire as jhum cultivation had become one of the major causes of forest fire in the state.
The state had already witnessed massive forest fire raging the picturesque Dzukou Valley along the Nagaland-Manipur border in December 2020. Shirui peak, the natural habitat of Manipur’s state flower Shirui lily in Ukhrul district, also witnessed a similar forest fire in March 2021.
Meanwhile, forest fire was reported from Nongmaiching Reserved Forest wherein one forest official fainted while dousing the fire on Thursday, according to officials.
“Some set the fire. Our officials with locals have been fighting to douse the fire—one of our beat officials fainted while fighting the fire,” said a senior forest official on Friday. “Now investigation is going on,” the official added.