Three American made hovercrafts conscripted into Manipur police force

Imphal, March 7 (NNN): The three hovercrafts purchased by the State government of Manipur from the United States of America for use in counter insurgency operation in and around the showpiece Loktak Lake (in Manipur) have been launched by chief minister Okram Ibobi today at Takmu Sendra in Moirang under Bishenpur district of Manipur.   The chief minister has urged the people living in the surrounding areas of the Lake to extend their cooperation in transforming the lake into one of the most beautiful and sought after tourist attractions in the world.
 Loktak  is the biggest fresh water lake not only in Northeast but also in the entire country. The lake is 1/3 time bigger than popular lakes like Dal lake in Srinagar and Cooler lake in Orissa. But in these lakes, timely attentions have been given in cleaning and maintaining and in preventing siltation of the lakes. On the contrary, here in Loktak Lake, the fishermen use "phum" ( a kind of biomass of plants) and construct small huts which are used by underground outfits as base in their extortion, kidnapping and other anti-social operations, observed  O Ibobi Singh, the chief minister of Manipur.
 He went on to say that while the government is very generous about funds and welfare measures for the fishing community, it also has strong restriction about the plantation of phum and construction of huts on the phum. Because, the government is of the opinion that the fishing community provide a safe haven to underground outfits who operate out of the lake.
Therefore, the protection of Loktak act has been passed in the assembly and very soon a proper demarcation of the lake will be done to protect the gift of nature. The three hovercrafts which are inducted in the Loktak protection force will be used against the underground outfits that perpetuate anti-social activities out of the lake, he said.  The Loktak protection force will be manned at three different locations by about 200 police personnel including a DSP, Inspector, and Sub-Inspector, drawn from Bishnupur unit of the Manipur police commando. An integrated management of Loktak Lake has been instituted under which an estimated Rs 224 crore phumdi removal project has already been awarded to a private company which is doing satisfactory progress. Besides, an alternate livelihood program—dairy farming, cattle rearing, foul poultry, fishy culture, paddy and vegetable farming etc.—for the fishing community has also been included as a major component in the project with an estimated cost overlay of Rs 10 crore, said the chief minister.
He went on to iterate that the most important negative effect on the lake is siltation which is set to be addressed with the purchase of a machine from Thailand at a cost of about Rs 3.5 crore. The machine will arrive here latest by the last week of March.
Speaking on the same occasion, police chief of Manipur Y Joykumar said that today is a historic day for Manipur police because it has inducted in its force 3 high-tech hovercrafts which even the Indian Army and other better placed states of the country have not acquired yet. The 3 hovercrafts will be used by the police to control the situation of insurgency in Manipur.