Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, March 29 2009:
Asserting that the road map for development of Manipur lies in the judicious utilisation of the resources available locally, the Information Centre for Hill Areas, Manipur (ICHAM) has today stated that serious thoughts ought to be given along this line while choosing the candidate of one's choice in the coming Lok Sabha election.
In a statement, ICHAM said that Manipur currently relies on the products brought in from other States, while ignoring the immense local resources.
As the State is rich in bamboo, paper mills can be started which will give a boost to not only bamboo farming but also provide employment avenue, it mooted and added that medicinal plants too should be cultivated on a large scale.
The rich deposit of Chromite and Limestone at Ukhrul district may also be utilised judiciously to earn extra revenue for the State.
The Loktak Project has done more harm than good, claimed ICHAM and added that the State should demand at least 50 pc of the power generated by the project.
With Loktak lake drying up, due to the project, the products from the lake has been hit hard and this one reason why Manipur continue to import fish from other States on such a large scale.
Other than this, the cabbages, potatoes, tomatoes and brinjals in huge quantity at Mao side, the oranges of Tamenglong, the Kachai Lime of Ukhrul district, the bamboo shoots, betel leaves and Heiribop of Maring range in Chandel district, the pineapples from the plain areas have not been utilised properly as there are no cold storage facilities or food processing units.
These agricultural products are left to rot while the people of the State depend on the vegetables brought in from outside, maintained ICHAM.
Irrigation should be implemented in a big way so that the barren fields in certain parts of the year may remain green, said ICHAM and added that the Government also ought to pass a Bill to prohibit anyone from settling down or constructing buildings in cultivable land.
Today, large tracts of agricultural land have been occupied with school buildings and other construction coming up.
In the not so distant future, all these structures will have to be removed to widen the roads, predicted ICHAM and mooted the idea that people are encouraged to settle in the hill areas which have no productive values.
With the right approach and hard work, Manipur can surely become a State of reckoning in India, just like Israel is today in the world.