All Loktak Lake Areas Fishermen’s Union Manipur (ALLAFUM) welcomed the Manipur High Court, a division bench of Chief Justice Ramalingum Sudhakar and Justice Kh. Nobin for the landmark order prohibiting any development works in Loktak, the largest freshwater in east India and the most scenic tourist spot of Manipur.

Terming the division bench order as a historic and a rightful intervention in putting a stop on the misappropriation of public money in the name of conservation and management of the Lake, the fishermen’s body urged concerned authorities to institute an impartial, independent enquiry into matters of corruption and human rights violation in and around the lake and demanded befitting punishment for those found guilty.

Further, the fishermen from Loktak Lake demanded the abolition of the Loktak Development Authority (LDA) alleging that the government body set up to protect and conserve Loktak is highly corrupted and violated the human rights of the fishermen who live and sustained off the lake.

“No development works in the Loktak Lake, a wetland of international importance, without the permission of the high court is the most crucial step initiated by the High Court to save the Loktak Lake,” said Oinam Rajen, general secretary of ALLAFUM.

While alleging that the LDA, since 2008, has been working against the prevailing laws including the Manipur Loktak Lake (Protection) Act 2006, Environment Protection Act, 1986 and Wetland Rules and Ramsar Convention and also immensely disturbed the ecosystem of the lake, the fisherman who has been leading the campaign against the forceful eviction of the fishing community who live on the floating, circular shacks on the lake termed the High Court order as the new hope of preserving the biggest freshwater lake of northeast. 

Rajen claims that the LDA has been destroying the Loktak Lake in the name of conserving and managing it without paying livelihood package, violating human rights, destructing natural riverine system of Loktak, creating siltation, pollution, water contamination, destruction of Loktak ecology and its fragile habitat.

LDA has, in the name of conservation of the lake and stopping pollution had forcefully evicted by burning down, 777 circular floating huts on the lake by paying a ‘Livelihood Package’ of Rs. 40,000/-.

The fishermen’s body alleged that 258 hut owners have yet to receive their compensation, amounting to Rs1,03,20,000/- and have questioned the LDA on how and where it has utilized the money.