7 months ago
1
GUWAHATI
Former Manipur Chief Minister Nongthombam Biren Singh has flagged the State’s “existential crisis” caused by the demolition of forests for poppy plantations.
His informing preceded a petition filed by the Joint Tribes Council Manipur (JTCM) to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, seeking his attraction to the interaction of unchecked amerciable migration from Myanmar connected the State’s indigenous population.
The JCTM is an organisation of Nagas, the second-largest radical successful Manipur. Meiteis signifier the largest group, portion the Kukis are the third-largest.
Sharing a video from a Kuki-majority Kangpokpi territory connected Wednesday (December 3, 2025), Mr Singh wrote connected X: “This video, recorded contiguous (December 3), shows wherefore recurrent floods person taken spot successful the State. The footage shows a poppy plantation astatine Kolten and Selsi Hill Ranges of IT-Road nether T. Waichong Sub-division successful Kangpokpi district.”
“All our forest(s) person been destroyed portion we are trying to propulsion each different down. None of our leaders has spoken retired against specified wide-scale devastation,” helium said, seeking to cognize wherefore the Forest Department officials did not instrumentality immoderate enactment against the destroyers of greenery.
“It is suspected that equipped militants are progressive successful these illicit activities. Unless we instrumentality factual action, the State volition look an existential crisis,” helium warned.
The JTCM underscored a akin interest successful its memorandum to the Prime Minister done the Governor connected Thursday (December 4), seeking his involution to lessen the load of amerciable migration from crossed the borderline connected Manipur’s indigenous peoples.
It claimed that the “alarming” complaint of migration has had far-reaching consequences connected the indigenous population, societal security, and the demographic equilibrium of Manipur. “In caller years, Manipur has witnessed a increasing influx of amerciable migrants from war-torn Myanmar and from Indian States wherever the NRC (National Register of Citizens) workout is being implemented,” it said.
“Continuous influx”
“This continuous inflow has strained section resources and present poses a superior menace to taste identity, economical stability, and accepted livelihoods of autochthonal indigenous communities successful Manipur,” the JCTM said, claiming that the concern was peculiarly captious on the large highways, wherever caller settlements person mushroomed unchecked.
“Many of these settlements person links to wide deforestation for illicit enactment – large-scale poppy cultivation. Several well-armed militant groups are known to support these recently established villages,” the JTCM said.
The organisation said the concern has reached specified a signifier that the migrants are claiming ancestral Naga lands arsenic their ain and demanding a abstracted administration.
It claimed that determination had been a accordant summation successful Manipur’s Kuki colonisation betwixt 1951 and 2011, rising from 79,919 to 4,48,214, an wide maturation of astir 460.7% implicit six decades.
The JCTM urged the Centre to place and deport the amerciable migrants, dismantle unlawful settlements, peculiarly those progressive successful poppy cultivation; and region equipped militant groups from these areas to reconstruct peace, bid and a consciousness of security.
“We humbly petition your esteemed bureau to kindly prioritise this substance and initiate the indispensable measures to safeguard our demographic landscape, and guarantee the dignity, information and well-being of each indigenous communities of Manipur,” it said successful the memorandum to Mr. Modi with a transcript to Home Minister Amit Shah.
