IT News
Imphal, April 16:
Permanent structures have emerged across several locations in the Chumbreithong Mantripukhri area, specifically in Village No. 004 Achanbigei under the Heingang Assembly Constituency, Imphal East district. These developments stand in clear violation of the Manipur Conservation of Paddy Land and Wetland (2nd Amendment) Act, 2021, raising serious concerns about enforcement and accountability.
Local sources allege that influential individuals are behind these illegal constructions, while government authorities seem to be turning a blind eye to the encroachment of prime agricultural land.
A recent investigation conducted by Imphal Times, utilizing satellite imagery from Google Maps, reveals a worrying transformation in land use in the area from 2021 to 2025. What was once uninterrupted paddy field has gradually given way to residential and commercial structures — all without any visible regulatory checks.
As per the 2021 Amendment of the Act, converting agricultural land for non-agricultural use requires prior government approval. Furthermore, the Act mandates the establishment of Local Level Monitoring Committees in every ward, chaired by the concerned Sub-Divisional Officer (SDO), under Section 4. Each district also has a District Level Committee to review applications for land conversion. These bodies are bound by limitations — they cannot approve conversions exceeding 0.20 acres in Panchayat areas and 0.10 acres in municipal areas.
The Imphal Times investigation traced the changes over the last decade. In 2014, the only major structure in the vicinity was Central Academy School at Achanbigei Mayai Leikai, surrounded by vast paddy fields. The area remained largely unchanged up to June 2021. However, a small house appeared about 40 meters from the school by early 2022. By March 2024, construction had spread over roughly one acre of paddy land. As of April 2025, a large permanent structure now stands at the site.
Locals suspect that the building belongs to a high-ranking government official, pointing to the speed and scale of the construction amid ongoing crises in Manipur — a time when most development activities have slowed down.
The critical question remains: Were these constructions authorized by the appropriate bodies? If so, they could represent a direct violation of Section 17 of the Manipur Conservation of Paddy Land and Wetland (2nd Amendment) Act, 2021.
Manipur currently has around 1.95 lakh hectares of agricultural land, of which 88,820 hectares are in the hills and the rest in the valley. Alarmingly, nearly 20,000 hectares in the valley have already been converted into fish farms, while the Manipur Organic Mission Agency (MOMA) has utilized about 9,000 hectares.
As agricultural land continues to vanish due to unchecked and possibly illegal construction the State Government must walk the talk when it comes to conserving agricultural land.