Environment / Manipur

IMPHAL, April 10: The fate of the rare Sangai (Cervus eldi eldi) at the Captive Breeding Centre at Meitei Langol which is the second home of the Brow Antlered Deer lies grim due to the illegal habitation by private individuals near the home. The area earmarked for the captive centre by the Manipur Zoological Garden inside the Langol Reserve Forest is 50 hectares while the exact habitat of the deer is 1.5 acre. The 50 ha area is meant for expansion of activities of the Iroisemba Zoological Garden and the Captive Breeding Centre. However, the human habitation springing up around the 1.5 acre...

IMPHAL, March 31: The Chief Minister, Radhabinod Koijam expressed his desire for the work on the Rs 578.62 crore, Loktak Downstream Hydro Project to begin as soon as possible, during a meeting with the chairman-cum-managing director of the National Hydro Electric Power Corporation, NHPC, Yogendra Prasad at the Manipur Bhawan this morning. The project is designed to produce 90 MW of power and would be a boon for the state now reeling under an acute power shortage, the Chief Minister told Prashad. Koijam also told Prasad that he has requested the Union home minister, LK Advani, in a meeting...

BISHNUPUR, March 15: A massive rally was taken out at Bishnupur today in protest against the killing of a female Sangai from the Keibul Lamjao National Park. A memorandum was also submitted to the Chief Minister to take up stringent steps to check poaching of the endangered Sangai. The silent rally participated by the people of Keibul Lamjao and employees of the Keibul Lamjao National Park was flagged off by the Deputy Conservator of Forest MS Chabbra today at noon. The rally was jointly organised by the Forest Department and Environmental Social Reformation and Sangai Protection Forum. The...

SILCHAR, February 17: Another hurdle in the way of the 1500-MW Tipaimukh hydel power project has been removed with tribal leaders spearheading a movement against it agreeing to the project. The Rs 3,200-crore project is the largest ever multipurpose scheme in the Northeast. Tribal leaders of a vigilante group named the Tipaimukh Hydro Electric Power Project Affected Villages Welfare Association, who had earlier opposed the project, have now veered round to put their seal of approval on it. Association president Chaltonlien Amo and association secretary S.L. Gangte, in a letter to Prime...

KOHIMA, February 9: The Northeast, which has been ranked sixth among the top 25 biodiversity spots in the world, is all set to receive its first state-of-the-art biotechnical research institute at Imphal, reports UNI. Official sources here said that in order to study and document the unique biodiversity of the region, the Institute of Bioresources and Sustainable Development (IBSD) had been set up at Imphal in Manipur. It would have state-of-the-art biotechnical research facilities and the institute would be dedicated to find out sustainable development and utilisation of the resources and...

IMPHAL, February 6: In sharp contrast to the claims of state forest officials that the state has a stock of 31000 cubic metre timbers at different timber depots yet to be disposed, the Public Account's Committee (PAC) of the Manipur state legislative Assembly which conducted an aerial survey of some major timber depots yesterday and today found that the present stock of timber would be less than one third of the quantity claimed by the forest officials, according to reliable sources. The PAC team today conducted aerial survey of the timber depot at Kamjong in Ukhrul district. Earlier yesterday...

IMPHAL, February 1: A combined force of police commandos and Assam Rifles rushed to Sangaithel area and opened several rounds of fire. After the firing, a wild fire mysteriously broke out engulfing a 100 hectare forest located in between Waikhurok and Ningthourok under Saparmeina police station today at about 11 am. According to villagers of Sangaithel and Tairenkok, they saw police commandos head towards the direction of Loktak Catchment Plantation Forest located at Waikhurok in six Gypsys today at about 8 am. Minutes later they heard gunshots, said the villagers. The villagers said they...

IMPHAL, August 12: Forest and Environment Minister Prof Gangumei Kamei released a brochure on Sangai entitled "The Sangai- A Photo profile" by freelance journalist Salam Rajesh at a simple function at Hotel Excellency today. Chief Conservator of Forest T Priyobrata presided over the function. The brochure contains four photo profiles of Sangai, the most threatened deer species. Slides of Sangai profiles taken by Salam Rajesh from Keibul Lamjao wildlife sanctuary and Sangai captive breeding centre at Meitei Langol were also displayed. Rajesh, who is also a photography enthusiast explained to...

IMPHAL, July 18 Manipur Chief Minister W Nipamacha Singh today said his government has ordered another survey of the proposed Tipaimukh dam to determine its height. A final decision would be taken only after studying the final survey report, he told the Assembly. Earlier, raising the issue, former Chief Minister Rishang Keishing of the Congress said he wanted to know the government's stand on the power project. The government had earlier opposed the dam on the ground that it would submerge large areas of the state. The Chief Minister said Northeastern Electric Power Corporation has been...

GUWAHATI, August 18: The Rs 2,899-crore Tipaimukh dam project of the Brahmaputra Board involving three Northeast states -Manipur, Mizoram and Assam -still awaits inter-state clearance from the concerned state governments for its execution which is being pursued by the Brahmaputra Board and the ministry of water resources. The techno-economic angle of the detailed project report submitted by Brahmaputra Board was approved by the technical advisory committee of the concerned ministry in August, 1995. The cost of Rs 2,899 crore (at the 1995 price level) which would now be over Rs 3,000 crore...