Imphal: The Meitei Meetei Tribe Union (MMTU) is slamming the state Forest Department for failing to stop rampant land grabs and illegal poppy farms. Forest cover numbers show a drop from 17,416 square kilometers in 2001 to 16,585 in 2023. Officials estimate an additional loss of 2,550 square kilometers in 2025 alone. Forests are disappearing. Between 2021 and 2025, illegal poppy cultivation cleared more than 21,100 hectares of land.
New settlements are popping up everywhere. The MMTU claims 2,500 fresh settlements now sit in hill areas, including inside protected zones. Enforcement remains thin. The department ran only 24 eviction drives from 2015 to 2023. Most of these, 21 in total, took place in the valley. Only three occurred in the hills, split between Kangpokpi and Noney.
Management negligence runs deep. The union pointed to the suspension of 26 Yairipok Forest Beat staff following disputes over Uchan Pambi in the Waithou Protected Forest. The MMTU also flagged illegal road work in the Koubru hill ranges and the Gwaltabi and Khamenlok Reserve Forests. These projects, including work on German Road and Tiger Road leading to Kangpokpi, face ongoing objections at the National Green Tribunal.
The MMTU is demanding strict adherence to the Indian Forest Act of 1927 and the Forest Conservation Act of 1980. They want to know why illegal acts continue. The group stated, "forest destruction and poppy cultivation were aggravating Manipur's environmental and security concerns." They claim that unless authorities step up, the state's natural borders will face permanent ruin.
Comments