IT News
Imphal, May 09:
The whole of Mount Koubru, which controversies sparked following claims by different communities of the state over the hill range was indeed a reserved forest area. This means that the Mountain range cannot be encroached on and settled by any community as per the law. However, state institutions can be established by the government authority after getting prior permission or clearance from the forest department.
However, report said that there were 25 villages in the periphery of the Koubru and KK reserved forest at which around 4 or villages falls inside the forest area.
According to documents with the Imphal Times 33 square miles of the Mount Koubru range was first declared as the reserved Forest area by a gazette notification of the Government of Manipur published on July 3, 1968 under sub-section (I) of Section 4 of the Indian Forest Act, 1927. This reserved Forest is known as Kangpokpi Kanglatombi (KK) reserved Forest. As per the gazette notification – on the North of the Reserved Forest lies the Kanglatombi –Tamenglong raod, on the south lies the source of Thumkhong –lok Hill stream where it debouches to the plain area; on the west lies the ridge of the Koubru Hill Range and on the East stand the Eastern boundary line from the point where Thumkhong –lok stream touches the Hill foot upto Kangpokpi along the Dimapur –Manipur Road with the exclusion of the margin or tongue territory in between the foothill and the Dimapur road.
After the area was announced as a reserved forest by the gazette notification again, on July 24, 1976, the remaining portion of the northwestern part of the Koubru Range adjacent to the KK reserved Forest has also been declared as Koubru reserved forest. The boundary of the reserved Forest has been listed at Adai Nadi on the North, Naoki Nadi on the South, Koubru Ridge on the East, and Adai Nadi and Naoki Nadi on the West.
The area of the Koubru Reserved Forest as per the notification of the government of Manipur is 54 sy kilometers.
The present enmity arises out the claims and counter claims by different communities is in violation of the law of the land and the government should look into this matter.
