By Our Staff Reporter IMPHAL, Jun 26: With Chief Minister N Biren in the chair today, top Government officials held a meeting today and deliberated on the fast shrinking agricultural lands of the State. After threadbare discussion, the meeting decided to initiate stringent measures under the Manipur Conservation of Paddy Land and Wetland Act. Sources informed that both sale and purchase of paddy fields would be monitored minutely. The Government may even examine sources of income of those purchasing paddy fields. The meeting was also attended by Chief Secretary Dr J Suresh Babu, officials of Revenue Department, DCs, SDOs, SDCs and Sub-Registrars of the valley districts. Meanwhile, it is reported that Agriculture Department would consult both Central Agricultural University (CAU) and Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR), Lamphelpat to chalk out a course of action if there is no seasonal rainfall to the expected volume by July first week. Agriculture Department has already sought recommendations of CAU and ICAR on paddy varieties which can be cultivated and harvested within short periods. If there is adequate rainfall by July 15, paddy seeds can be sown for transplantation. However, if there is no adequate rainfall by mid-July and farmers cannot transplant paddy saplings by the first week of August, the whole State would face a very hard time, said some ICAR scientists. The rainfall rate between January and June this year is 60 per cent lower than the expected volume, sources said.
