Churachandpur-Khoupum protected forest

Protected forest in Manipur, India

Churachandpur–Khoupum protected forest

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Location| Manipur, India
Nearest city| Bishnupur, Churachandpur
Coordinates| 24°28′06″N 93°39′45″E﻿ / ﻿24.4682°N 93.6624°E﻿ / 24.4682; 93.6624
Area| 51.4866 km2 (19.8791 sq mi)
Established| September 17, 1966 (1966-09-17)
Governing body| Government of Manipur, Forest Department

The Churachandpur–Khoupum protected forest was declared by the Government of Manipur in India in 1966. It is believed to be largely coincidental with the Thangjing Hills range that bounds the Imphal Valley on the southwest. The protected forest designation was relatively unknown until November 2022, when the government issued a memorandum derecognising 38 tribal villages embedded in the forest area, mainly populated by Kuki-Zo people. Amidst the uproar caused by the announcement, a small village called K. Songjang was dramatically bulldozed in February 2023, with the claim that it had encroached into the protected forest. Tensions arising from this event are stated to be one of the causes of the long drawn 2023–2024 Manipur violence.[1][2][3][4]

## Context[edit]

Manipur is a state embedded within the Patkai-Arakan Yomas, the eastern counterpart of the Himalayas that interject between the Indian plate and the Eurasian plate.[5] The state consists of a central valley portion, occupying roughly 1,820 km2 (700 sq mi), and the surrounding hill regions of 20,507 km2 (7,918 sq mi). The total forest area of the state is 17,346 sq. km., forming 77.7% of the land area of the state.[6]

The protected-area network consisting of wildlife sanctuaries and national parts covers 1,132 sq km (roughly 5.07% of the area of the state). In addition, the state has 36 reserve forests (1,467 sq km) and 22 protected forests (4,171&nbps;sq km). The remaining area of 11,131 sq km is unclassified.[7][8]

## Establishment[edit]

The Churachandpur–Khoupum Protected Forest was notified by the Government of Manipur on 17 September 1966 under Section 29 of the Indian Forest Act, 1927.[9] Manipur was a union territory at that time, governed by a centrally-appointed Chief Commissioner, and guided by a Legislative Assembly consisting of 30 elected members and 3 nominated members.[10]

The protected forest covers 51.49 sq km land area,[6] mainly comprising the Thangjing Hills range, which borders the central Imphal Valley on the southwest.[11] Its geographical extent seems to cover the ridge and the slopes on the east and west, including the embedded valleys. It stretches from Songpi in the south to a little north of the Cachar–Bishnupur road. The highest peak on the ridge is Thangjing Hill (2109 m), which is held in reverence by the dominant Meitei community of the Imphal Valley. It is believed to be the abode of god Thangching, the presiding deity of the people of Moirang, and southwest guardian deity for all the Meitei. The devotees of the god conduct an annual pilgrimage to the top of the hill.

According to the government record, there are 38 tribal villages embedded in the forest area, with about 1,000 people each. Each village has several subvillages as per the tribal custom.[3][12] After the establishment of the protected forest, a settlement officer visited each village and issued settlement papers, defining the land area allocated to the village, which was then excluded from the protected area.[a] Within the protected area, it is said that even the cutting of firewood is restricted.[7]

## Derecognition of villages[edit]

On 7 November 2022, the state government issued an "office memorandum" cancelling the recognition of all the villages embedded in the protected forest.[14][15] It transpired that an assistant (forest) settlement officer (ASO) was appointed as an enquiry officer in 1971 and he passed an order in 1986, excluding the various villages from the protected area. The state government argued that his role was only to conduct an enquiry into the "existing rights" of the communities living in the protected forests and he wasn't authorised to pass the settlement orders. It said that it appointed a committee to examine the orders issued by the ASO, and cancelled them in December 2022, while also initiating fresh enquiries into the "nature and extent of existing rights of people prior to the notification of protected forests".[4]

## Notes[edit]

1. ^ An example of this for the Ukha Loikhai village was mentioned by the state legislator Paolienlal Haokip: "The MLA said that so far as the Thangjing Hills are concerned, the Chief of Ukha (Loikhai) has clear orders of the settlement officer, excluding the land belonging to Loikhai village, which includes Thangjing Hills, from the Churachandpur Khopum Protected Forest."[13]

## References[edit]

1. ^ Declaration of village land as protected forest areas in the hill district of Manipur triggers statewide protests, Land Conflict Watch, 18 April 2023.
2. ^ Nandita Haksar's New Book Explores Genesis of Manipur's Ongoing Ethnic Violence, The Quint, 27 December 2023.
3. ^ a b Dhiren A. Sadokpam, What is really behind the violence in Manipur?, Frontline, 6 May 2023.
4. ^ a b Karishma Hasnat, ‘They came with 6 JCBs’— How eviction of a tiny village sparked fires across Manipur, The Print, 16 May 2023.
5. ^ United States Weather Bureau (1942), Climate and Weather of Southeastern Asia: India, Burma, and southern China, Volume 1, U.S. Government Printing Office, p. 68
6. ^ a b Forest of Manipur, Government of Manipur, retrieved 19 February 2024.
7. ^ a b Ziipao, Raile Rocky (2020), Infrastructure of Injustice: State and Politics in Manipur and Northeast India, Taylor & Francis, pp. 53–54, ISBN 9781000067972
8. ^ Sanjebam Jugeshor Singh, Why are people evicted from protected areas?, Imphal Free Press, 14 March 2023.
9. ^ Forest Department Manipur, An eight-point response showing tribals are not threatened in Manipur, EastMojo, 13 March 2023. "Churachandpur-Khoupum Protected Forest was notified under Section 29 of the Indian Forest Act, 1927 by the Government of Manipur with a well-defined schedule of boundaries vide Notification No. 55/10/66-M (2) dated 17.09.1966 and Manipur Extra Ordinary Gazette No.124-EI00 dated 21.09.1966."
10. ^ Sinha, L. P. (1987), "The Politics and Government of Manipur", The Indian Journal of Political Science, 48 (4): 488, JSTOR 41855332
11. ^ Forest Department to intensify tree plantation drives, The Sangai Express, 6 June 2022.
12. ^ Rokibuz Zaman, In Manipur, the Kukis are up in arms against the ‘majoritarian’ BJP government, Scroll.in, 14 March 2023.
13. ^ BJP MLA Paolienlal Haokip Slams BJYM’s Attempt To Plant Trees On Thangjing Hill, The Frontier Manipur, 17 May 2022.
14. ^ KSO Rejects Manipur Government’s Memo On Forests; Says It Is ‘Illegal And Arbitrary’, The Frontier Manipur, 30 November 2022.
15. ^ Claim over THANGJING HILLS treated as Non- Est; No records of so called ‘Haokip Reserved’: Manipur Govt, Ukhrul Times, 19 February 2024.