While appraising about the degradation of Loktak Lake, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Manipur Pradesh has urged the Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change to constitute an assessment group to look into the issues concerning the lake ecosystem.
In this regard, Moirangthem Ashnikumar, General Secretary (Admin) of BJP Manipur Pradesh has submitted a detail report on Loktak Lake and ecological situation in and around the lake to Prakash Javadekar, Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change in New Delhi.
Loktak Lake is the largest fresh water lake of the Eastern India. Knowing the International significance of the Lake, the Wet Land International has included it in the Ramasar Convention to restore its natural ecosystem. Several lakhs of population were directly and indirectly dependent for their livelihood since time immemorial, Ashnikumar said.
He also observed that the lake is also the cradle of biodiversity, tangible heritages of the people of Manipur. There is no policy for wise use of this lake of international significance. As a result by the implementation of Loktak Hydro Electric Power Project implemented by NHPC has been extremely degraded its natural ecosystem which was implemented without any proper environment impact assessment.
The people of Manipur and the civil organisations make movement for saving Loktak Lake since many years. Taking the advantage of the people’s movement the government of Manipur promulgated Loktak Protection Act- 2006 which is basically anti-people. Using this anti-people Act the present Government is implementing different projects without proper monitoring mechanism with post impact analysis, maintained Ashnikumar.
He also urged the Government of India to look into the process of high degradation of the Loktak Lake Ecosystem and livelihood of the people including reviewing the anti-people Loktak Lake Protection Act- 2006 on priority.
It may be recalled that BJP included “protection of Loktak Lake” in its manifesto of the last parliamentary election.
