IMPHAL, January 27: Local residents of Luwangshangbam led by their MLA halted construction of a Model Nursery and Farmers training Centre of the Horticulture department in the constituency today.
The locals led by MLA N Biren rushed to the construction site this morning and halted the construction citing that the construction was taking place at an agricultural land.
Following a discussion on the issue with the locals and the MLA, the Horticulture department officials agreed to shift the centre at somewhere else which is not an agricultural land.
Speaking to media persons, Biren said the State government had passed The Wetland and Agriculture land conservation Bill to protect agricultural land in the State during the last Assembly session.
The bill was passed so that we could save atleast the existing agricultural land, he added.
He said however, the department was violating the Bill by constructing the centre at an agricultural land.
The State has hardly 5 percent land for agricultural activities after separating the area of wetlands from the total 8 percent for agricultural purposes, he added.
He stressed that there was a movement in his area to safeguard agricultural lands.
Manipur being a land-locked State, we don’t have much waterways and import of food grains through the air is impossible, he added.
At the sametime, although we have two National Highways acting as the State’s lifelines, these two are frequently affected by bandhs and blockades, he added.
He said it came to light only two days back that the Horticulture and Soil Conservation department had acquired 5 acres of local paddy field in the area.
There is no problem in acquiring land in the area, but the locals will strongly oppose any kind of construction on agricultural fields, he warned.
He further appealed to the concerned department to look for the desired construction at some other place.
Local women organisation secretary M Leima said that we have no restriction in anyone buying our land, but the buyer can only practice agricultural activities in such land.
Luwangshangbam United Clubs general secretary Yanglem Sanatomba said we have convened a meeting an adopted some resolution affirming the restriction of construction in agricultural land.
People willing to buy land here should be aware of the restriction, he said.
Officials of the department concerned said the construction had started some 15 days back.