Manipur's Tree Loss Due to Highway Projects Raises Environmental Concerns

In Manipur, over 200,000 trees have been cut down in the last five years for highway construction, raising serious environmental concerns. Activist Rahul Roy revealed these figures through RTI inquiries, highlighting the extensive tree loss across various districts. The NHIDCL has confirmed the significant deforestation linked to road projects, with alarming implications for the region's ecology. Roy warns that such unchecked tree removal could exacerbate flooding and landslides, urging the government to take the matter seriously. Compensatory afforestation funds have been deposited, but the effectiveness of these measures remains in question. The Director of Environment and Climate Change emphasized the need for adherence to environmental protocols in development projects. This situation calls for urgent attention to balance infrastructure development with ecological preservation.

By Narendra Chaudhary Mar 16, 2026, 12:27 IST

Significant Deforestation in Manipur

Imphal, March 15: In the last five years, over 200,000 trees have been cut down in Manipur for highway construction and expansion, as revealed by data obtained through the Right to Information (RTI) Act.

Activist Rahul Roy acquired this information from the National Highways & Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL), focusing on tree removal, afforestation efforts, and funds allocated for compensatory planting related to road projects in the Northeast.

Responses from various NHIDCL Project Monitoring Units (PMUs) in Manipur indicate that a total of 261,084 trees were removed across multiple districts for highway development.

Specifically, under the PMU-Noney jurisdiction, 218,665 trees were reported felled over the past five years for road and infrastructure projects.

In the Tamenglong area, significant tree loss occurred due to projects along the Tamenglong–Mahur corridor, with 14,911 trees cut in Package-01, 15,516 in Package-02, and 11,992 in Package-03, in addition to thousands more from other packages and the Tamenglong–Khongsang route.

The Churachandpur PMU noted tree removal associated with projects on the Churachandpur–Tuivai stretch of NH-102B and the Imphal–Moreh highway, with individual packages reporting between 1,000 and 2,700 trees cut down.

In Senapati district, projects like Maram–Peren, Imphal–Kohima, and Ukhrul–Talloi–Tadubi also involved extensive tree clearing, with several packages indicating thousands of trees were removed.

The PMU-Ukhrul reported considerable tree loss along projects such as the Yainagngpokpi–Finch Corner road and the Choithar–Marrem Khullen and Marrem Khullen–Jessami stretches, where individual packages documented between 35,000 and nearly 48,000 trees cut.

Roy informed that based on RTI responses from various NHIDCL project units, over 600,000 trees have been felled across the Northeast in the last five years.

He highlighted that the floods in Manipur last year could be exacerbated by reckless and poorly planned tree removal, increasing environmental risks in the area.

“This is happening due to a lack of planning. The government is not addressing the issue seriously,” he stated, warning that unchecked deforestation could heighten the risks of floods, landslides, and ecological damage in hilly regions.

NHIDCL officials confirmed that funds for compensatory afforestation were deposited with the State Forest Department as mandated by environmental regulations.

For PMU-Tamenglong, compensatory afforestation funds ranged from ₹1.41 crore to ₹4.85 crore, while ₹19.08 crore was deposited under the PMU-Noney jurisdiction.

In the Churachandpur sector, compensatory afforestation payments varied from ₹0.28 crore to ₹3.70 crore for projects like the Imphal–Moreh corridor, with similar payments noted under the Senapati and Ukhrul PMUs.

NHIDCL stated that necessary approvals were secured from relevant forest authorities, and funds were deposited in the CAMPA account for compensatory afforestation and avenue planting.

Addressing these concerns, T. Brahakumar Singh, Director of Environment and Climate Change, emphasized that development projects involving tree removal must adhere to established environmental protocols.

He explained that project proponents, including NHIDCL and the Public Works Department (PWD), must apply for clearances via the “Parivesh” online portal.

Both forest and environmental clearances are processed through this portal but are reviewed by different authorities. “For forest clearance, the proposal is sent to the Forest Department, while environmental clearance is assessed by our department,” he noted.

Singh added that proposals are evaluated by the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Authority and forwarded to the State Level Expert Appraisal Committee, which assesses the project before recommending clearance.

Environmental safeguards, including the protection of existing trees, pollution control, and mitigation measures, are scrutinized during the appraisal process, he stated.

“If trees are present, we advise project proponents to preserve them wherever feasible and adhere to environmental safeguards. Clearance is granted only after these recommendations are followed,” he concluded.