Imphal: The Manipur government on Thursday decided to declare the sacred Heibok Ching Hillock, located in Imphal West district’s Langthabal, as a reserved forest under Section 4 of the Indian Forest Act, 1927.
The decision was taken to conserve the environment and biodiversity.
IPR Minister Sapam Ranjan Singh stated that recognizing the importance of preserving Heibok Ching, revered for its natural beauty and biodiversity, the state government decided to protect the unique landscape and ecological value of the hillock.
The cabinet has decided to conduct a survey of the various molehills scattered across the valley region, many of which have been deprived of their forest cover due to deforestation and excavation.
He noted that Heibok Ching was previously designated as a revenue village under the name “68-Heibok Ching” in a gazette notification issued on Dec 2, 2014, as per Section 2(w) of the Manipur Land Revenue & Land Reforms Act, 1960. This gazette will now be amended to reflect its new status as a reserved forest, he added.
The cabinet also decided that there will be a survey, following which each molehill will be reviewed and a decision will be made to categorize them as either Reserved or Protected Forests, he added.
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The minister further stated the classification of Heibok Ching as a Reserved Forest will help to conserve trees and combat the ongoing deforestation in the Valley.
