Forest and Environment Minister Thounaojam Shyamkumar on Sunday inspected trees planted under the Catchment Area Treatment (CAT) Plan in Phadang area in Manipur’s Ukhrul district.
The plantation was done and nurtured by the forest officials of Kasom Khullen Range, Eastern Forest Division, Ukhrul covering an area of 130 hectares of land under the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA) Scheme 2016-2017.
The Forest and Environment Minister after the inspection programme lauded the forest officials for nurturing the trees. He said sincere efforts of the department as well as the locals are needed for the success of any developmental work in the State. Adding that more development work will be taken up in the future, he asked the forest officials to be vigilant so that plantation is not destroyed by wild fire and grazing of animals.
In May last year, Forest Minister Shyamkumar intercepted 14 trucks loaded with logs, illegally brought from Myanmar via Kamjong district in State’s Ukhrul district. The truck drivers, carrying fake transit passes, were on their way to the neighbouring Nagaland. The trucks, carrying pine wood and Kangara wood logs, were intercepted at Finch Corner junction along the Imphal-Ukhrul Highway located about 60 km away from the State capital, reports said.
The incident took place when the Forest Minister, who was returning to Imphal after attending the opening ceremony of the Shirui Festival, came out after inspecting the office of Beat Forest Officer, Finch Corner, on May 17.
At that point of time, the Minister also seized around 10 trucks for illegally carrying stones and sand without paying toll tax while inspecting the Forest check post at Mantripukhuri in Imphal. The Minister had informed the media that the Forest Department has set a target of generating revenue of Rs 100 crore annually and further said that the revenue generated by the Forest Department can check and control the damage to the natural resources like rampant felling of trees, breaking of mountains and rivers.