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ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF TOURISM IN MANIPUR :

A RUINOUS EFFECT ON THE INDIGENOUS PEOPLE?

ISSN 2393-879×

CSSEIP, MU, WORKING PAPER, VOL 46, MAY, 2018

Dr.ThathangVaiphei

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AuthorDR. THATHANG VAIPHEI completed his BA (Hons) in Political Science from Kirorimal College, University of Delhi, MA in Political Science from Centre for Political Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), MPhil and PhD from Centre for South Asian Studies, School of International Studies, JNU, NewDelhi. He is serving as an Assistant Professor (Political Science) in the Centre for Study of Social Exclusion and Inclusive Policy, Manipur University. He is undertaking intense research on Decentralization, Political Exclusion, Tourism and Tribal Polity in the North East India especially Manipur and presented score of papers on these areas in Regional, National, International and more importantly at the grass root level seminars. He had published some of these papers in reputed books and Journals.

He recently completed one Major Research Project of UGC on the topic Democratic Decentralization in the North East: An Analytical Study of the Working of Panchayati Raj Institution and Autonomous District Council in Manipur and presently working on another major research project on “Gaps Identification on Skill Development in the Hill Areas of Manipur” under Tribal Research Institute, Department of Tribal Affairs and Hills, Government of Manipur. He also has few edited books and working papers on the theme Social Exclusion to his credit.

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF TOURISM IN MANIPUR

CSSEIP, MU, WORKING PAPER, VOL 46, MAY, 2018 | 1

EDITORIAL BOARD

Chief EditorProf. E. Bijoykumar SinghDirector, Centre for Study of Social Exclusion and Inclusive Policy, Manipur University

Executive EditorDr. Thiyam Bharot SinghReader, Centre for Study of Social Exclusion and Inclusive Policy, Manipur University

Editorial BoardDr. Thathang VaipheiAssistant ProfessorCentre for Study of Social Exclusion and Inclusive Policy, Manipur University

Dr. Yaiphaba NingthoujamAssistant ProfessorCentre for Study of Social Exclusion and Inclusive Policy, Manipur University

Dr. Kh. Gourashyam SinghResearch AssociateCentre for Study of Social Exclusion and Inclusive Policy, Manipur University

Advisory BoardProf Virginious XaxaDeputy DirectorTata Institute of Social Sciences, Guwahati

Prof. S Mangi SinghDepartment of Political Science, Manipur University

Prof. S Kunjeshwori DeviDepartment of History, Manipur University


2 | CSSEIP, MU, WORKING PAPER, VOL 46, MAY, 2018

FROM THE EDITOR’S DESK

The Working Paper Series is being published by the Centre for Study of Social Exclusion & Inclusive Policy (CSSEIP), Manipur University every month since February 2015. Relevant themes and areas are selected and academicians, researchers, and intellectuals are invited to contribute their work or other experiences in the research of poverty, deprivation, marginalisation, social exclusion and inclusive policies. The Working Paper Series contribute to critical inquiry and expand the limited horizon of knowledge and experience of different dimensions of social exclusion. The papers also serve as a forum to discuss new ideas and concepts with the framework of social exclusion. It also makes an enquiry into the causes how the present social structure generates different forms of social exclusion, deprivation and discrimination of individual, groups and people over the years. Apart from paucity of income, physical deprivation, impoverishment and lack of essential infrastructure, it may be mentioned that socially excluded individual, groups and people have been facing much difficulties and they are usually associated with problems of depression, anxiety, stress, emotional problems, impatient, panic and worry. These are very important issues in modern society. Many of these papers will enhance the knowledge levels of public and also provide key inputs government in policy formulation based on larger social, economic and political perspective. The Working Paper Series also serves a yardstick in which issues of poverty, unemployment, deprivation and marginalisation of individual, groups and people may be analysed in different forms.I am happy to present this paper entitled “Environmental Impact of Tourism in Manipur: A Ruinous effect on the Indigenous People?” by Dr.Thathang Vaiphei. The study reveals that tourism is a major generation of environmental problems with considerable capacity to destroy the resources upon which it depends. This resources or natural environment represent a complete set of inter-relationships among the phenomenon such as flora, fauna, landforms, geological structure, and the atmospheric etc. These phenomena constitute not only the nature of earth habitats and physical setting for human life styles, but are the infinite renewable and non-renewable source base for human activity. In fact, tourist affects each and every component of the eco-system. The paper concludes that effective policies and control mechanisms, strong local and regional institutions and sound management capabilities based on both modern and traditional knowledge systems are necessary. Without these essential elements, tourism could easily be a short-term boom-and-bust enterprise.

(Dr. Thiyam Bharat Singh)

Executive Editor



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Environmental Impact of Tourism in Manipur:A Ruinous effect on the Indigenous People?

Dr.Thathang Vaiphei

Abstract:

Humans itself do not create disasters rather, work as a catalyst in hazard generation by interfering the functioning of natural processes; which ultimately prove to be disastrous and result in severe deprivations of physical and cultural resources, and the lives of humans and animals also. Tourism is one such activity; as unplanned and uncontrolled tourism activities are affecting the mountain ecosystem and its sustainability too much and causing great damages to the harmonious environmental setup. In the past few decades; tourism, leisure, and fun making have even taken place of pilgrimage in the mountains, due to it a large size of the population is entering into the mountains, causing heavy pressure on natural resources, ultimately leading to environmental degradation and human induced disasters.

The environment, whether it is natural or manmade, is the most fundamental ingredient of the tourism product. However, as soon as tourism activity takes place, the environment is inevitably changed or modified either to facilitate tourism or during the tourism process. There is an indisputable close relationship between the physical qualities of a destination and its attractiveness for the purposes of tourism. Environmental impacts are inherently and irreducibly multi-dimensional. Unlike primary production and secondary manufacturing industries whose environmental impacts are external, these are internal and rather central to the economic base of the industry itself in natural-areas tourism. While the overall impact of tourism may be less than other industries developed to a similar scale, the impact is significant because it frequently impinges on particularly fragile, sensitive and interesting parts of a destination area.

Tourism, far from being a force for enhancement and protection of the environment, actually has shown itself to be a major generation of environmental problems with considerable capacity to destroy the resources upon which it depends. This resources or natural environment represent a complete set of inter-relationships among the phenomenon such as flora, fauna, landforms, geological structure, and the atmospheric etc. These phenomenon not only constitute the nature of earth habitats and physical setting for human life styles, but are the infinite renewable and non-renewable source base for human activity. In fact, tourist affects each and every component of the eco-system.



The negative impacts of tourism on environment includes disruption of breeding/feeding patterns, killing of animals for leisure (hunting) or to supply souvenir trade, loss of habitats and change in species composition, destruction of vegetation, soil erosion, damage to sites through trampling. It also leads to over loading of key infrastructure (e.g. water supply networks), water pollution through sewage or fuel spilage and rubbish from pleasure boats, air pollution (eg. vehicles, emissions, fuel-wood), noise pollution (eg. vehicles or tourist attraction: bars, discos etc.), littering of garbage, depletion of ground and surface water and diversion of water supply to meet tourist needs (eg. golf courses or pools). It could further result in the depletion of local fuel sources, depletion of local building-material sources, land transfers to tourism (eg. from farming) and also resulted in the detrimental visual impact on natural and non-natural landscapes through tourism development.

Introduction:

Manipur, a mountainous state at present is a good example of unplanned, uncontrolled, and unsustainable tourism practices, all these have facilitated the human induced disasters; as the state is witnessing disasters viz. Floods, Landslides, Forest Fires, climate change, pollution, contamination of lake and rivers, food/commodities shortest etc, almost on a yearly basis mostly due to environmental degradation, deforestation and soil erosion as a result of unplanned, unmanaged and uncontrolled tourism development and other tourism related development activities.

This disaster has affected not only thousands of lives of the indigenous people especially in the rural areas, but also caused thousands of crores of economic and infrastructural losses. The economy and society of the state are facing lots of problems; as thousands of people are left without home, food, and employment and at times deprived of their livelihood by the disaster. Tourism industry of the state itself are at risk and its negative impacts will be enormous and catastrophe if remain unchecked.

In this paper an attempt has been made to study, analyse and evaluate the role of rapidly increasing tourism activities, especially with the initiation of Trans Asian Highways under India’s Act East Policy, in environmental degradation and disaster generation with remedial measures.

Environmental Implications of Tourism:

The environment, whether it is natural or manmade, is the most fundamental ingredient of the tourism product. However, as soon as tourism activity takes place, the environment is inevitably changed or modified either to



facilitate tourism or during the tourism process. There is an indisputable close relationship between the physical qualities of a destination and its attractiveness for the purposes of tourism. Environmental impacts are inherently and irreducibly multi-dimensional. Unlike primary production and secondary manufacturing industries whose environmental impacts are external, these are internal and rather central to the economic base of the industry itself in natural-areas tourism. While the overall impact of tourism may be less than other industries developed to a similar scale, the impact is significant because it frequently impinges on particularly fragile, sensitive and interesting parts of a destination area.

Tourism, far from being a force for enhancement and protection of the environment, actually has shown itself to be a major generation of environmental problems with considerable capacity to destroy the resources upon which it depends. This resources or natural environment represent a complete set of inter-relationships among the phenomenon such as flora, fauna, landforms, geological structure, and the atmospheric etc. These phenomenon not only constitute the nature of earth habitats and physical setting for human life styles, but are the infinite renewable and non-renewable source base for human activity. In fact, tourist affects each and every component of the eco-system.

The negative impacts of tourism on environment includes disruption of breeding/feeding patterns, killing of animals for leisure (hunting) or to supply souvenir trade, loss of habitats and change in species composition, destruction of vegetation, soil erosion, damage to sites through trampling. It also leads to over loading of key infrastructure (e.g. water supply networks), water pollution through sewage or fuel spilage and rubbish from pleasure boats, air pollution (eg. vehicles, emissions, fuel-wood), noise pollution (eg. vehicles or tourist attraction: bars, discos etc.), littering of garbage, depletion of ground and surface water and diversion of water supply to meet tourist needs (eg. golf courses or pools). It could further result in the depletion of local fuel sources, depletion of local building-material sources, land transfers to tourism (eg. from farming) and also resulted in the detrimental visual impact on natural and non-natural landscapes through tourism development.

The most obvious examples of the environmental stress are forest degradation and deforestation resulting from excessive use of natural resources owing to tourism-related activities - the increased demand for fuel-wood and timber to cater for tourist needs; loss of biodiversity in areas with endemic species of flora and fauna many of which might not even be known; overburdening



of basic infrastructure and sanitation systems of destination settlements; environmental pollution due to garbage and littering along trekking routes and campsites; pollution of creeks and river, and water bodies etc.

Thus, tourism may leads to overcrowding, excessive consumption of a resources, intensive construction of buildings, hotels, resorts, parks, souvenir etc which would result in its resource depletion, creating a scarcity, soaring prices, soil erosion, denudation of forests or depletion of marine resources etc.

However, not all of the environmental impacts for tourism may be negative. Indeed, tourism can induce greater awareness for environmental regeneration and care particularly among those who stand to benefit from it. It also encourages in conserving and protecting animals and the establishment of protected or conserved areas to meet tourist demands. Tourism revenue finance ground repair and site restoration and improvement to infrastructure and facilities and also encouraged cleaning programmes to protect the attractiveness of location to tourists and development of new/improved sources of supply. On top of these, tourism leads to improvement of marginal and unproductive lands and landscape and also regeneration and modernization of built environment and reuse of disused building. It also introduces of new architectural styles changes in (urban) functions and physical expansion of built-up areas, new uses for marginal or unproductive lands, landscape improvement (e.g. to clear urban dereliction), regeneration and/or modernization of built environment and reuse of disused buildings.

The environment is an important input into tourism industry. If the quality of the environment which attracts tourist is not properly maintained, it will result ultimately, in a decline of the tourist revenue due to unplanned and uncontrolled growth of tourism. This phenomenon is popularly known by the epithet, “Tourism destroys tourism”. To avoid this, the volume and the type of tourism activity must be balanced against the sensitivity and carrying capacity of the environment. This is essential to ensure that benefits from tourism can be maintained and sustained in the long run.

A brief analysis of the implications of tourism on aspects of the environment, economy and society reveals that economic and social benefits of tourism are limited to settlements that are strategically located and population groups that already have some resources to take advantages of tourism opportunities.

Nevertheless, tourism has far-reaching implications and benefits for the economic development, environmental regeneration and protection and



development and enhancement of the indigenous society and culture of the host community or country. Thus tourism is not only an important economic activity for the national economic growth and development of a country, but also an important way of cultural interaction with countries of the world and preservation, protection and environmental well-being of the indigenous people of the tourist destination.

Table I: Environmental Impact of Tourism

Area of effect Negative Impacts Positive Im-pacts

1. Biodiversity *Disruption of breeding/feeding patterns *Killing of animals for leisure (hunting) or to supply souvenir trade. *Loss of habitats and change in species composition. *Destruction of vegetation

*Encouragement to conserve an-imals as attrac-tions. *Establishment of protected or conserved areas to meet tourist demands

2. Erosion and physical damage

*Soil erosion*Damage to sites through trampling *Over loading of key infra-structure (e.g. water supply networks)

*Tourism rev-enue to finance ground repair and site resto-ration. *Improvement to infrastructure prompt by tourist demand.

3. Pollution *Water pollution through sewage or fuel spilage and rubbish from pleasure boats Air pollution (eg. Vehicles, emissions, fuelwood) *Noise pollution (eg. Vehi-cles or tourist attraction: bars, discos etc.) *Littering

*Cleaning programmes to protect the attractiveness of location to tourists.



4. Resource base *Depletion of ground and surface water*Diversion of water supply to meet tourist needs (eg. Golf Courses or Pools)*Depletion of Local Fuel Sources *Depletion of local build-ing-material sources.

*Development of new/improved sources of sup-ply.

5. Visual/structural change

*Land transfers to tourism (eg. From Farming) *Detrimental visual impact on natural and non-natural landscapes through tourism development. *Introduction of new archi-tectural styles changes in (ur-ban) functions and physical Expansion of built-up areas.

*New uses for marginal or un-productive lands. *Landscape im-provement (e.g. to clear urban dereliction). *Regeneration and/or modern-ization of built environment. *Reuse of dis-used buildings.

Source: Williams, Stephen, Tourism Geography, Routledge, London, 1998.

Tourism related Environmental Degradation and impact on the indigenous population in Manipur:

Manipur is a small state with diverse socio-cultural, economic and physical features, drawing a wide spectrum of visitors worldwide to its preserved culture, variegated landscapes, blue mountains and rich flora and fauna, glorious arts and culture. These exquisite attractions of the state provide visitors a memorable experience. For a state poor in resources, tourism is an indispensable sector generating much-needed revenue, foreign exchange earnings as well as employment. The number of tourists visiting Manipur has risen annually over the past few years. It has reached 116652 and 1516 domestic and foreign tourist respectively in the year 2010-11. Likewise, the gross revenue including foreign exchange receipts have shown substantial increases over the past decade.

Manipur’s primary attraction is its unique geographical situation. Its natural landscape, historical and cultural monuments and temples, Art and Dances,



Festivals, War Cemeteries and its flora and fauna such as the Siroy Lily, varied orchids, Sangai etc are the best attractions for the visitors.

Tourism in Manipur, however, has its share of problems. The number of tourists who visit Manipur is only a small fraction of those who visit Northeast India. The length of time spent by tourists in Manipur is still comparatively short. The sector is disorganized, a situation which is exacerbated by intense competition and business uncertainties. Much of the revenue and foreign exchange earned in the sector is spent on importing commodities to sustain the industry. The sector also has introduced, as well as aggravated, environmental problems and degraded fragile natural resources. For example, in some locations in the hill and mountain areas such as Dzuko Valley and Siroy Hills the influx of local tourists has created a high demand for fuel wood consumption. Littering of mountains with paper and non-biodegradable waste during expeditions has caused additional problems. In addition to the physical degradation of the mountain areas, there are the associated problems of erosion of local customs, tourist-related crimes, prostitution, drug abuse and theft.

On the positive side, tourism is increasingly seen as one of the catalysts for environmental conservation and infrastructural development in the State. As a result, several pilot programs and plans have been designed and initiated such as establishment of national parks and conservation areas to promote tourism that achieves the twin goals of local economic development and environmental conservation, eventually opening up new opportunities for promoting ecotourism.

Tourism planning has received attention of development planners of Manipur only in the latter part of 1990s. Much behind the rest of the other sectors in the economic planning process, the first Manipur Tourism Policy was brought out only in 2009 and again in 2011.

(a) Growth of Settlements: Manipur has a widely dispersed settlements system which has developed in response to its physical setting and economic requirements. In the main travel destinations such as Moirang, Keibul Lamjao National Park, Singda Dam and Sadu Chiru Waterfall, tourism has brought about significant changes in settlement and housing, and has also led to the expansion of built-up areas. Lodge and Shops/hotels construction has been a booming business for the past 20 years and is clearly linked to independent group local tourist and study tours which became increasingly important off late.

The rapid development of the tourism-led urban sprawl at the lakeside on



the one hand and human settlement in the floating Biomass inside the Lake is causing environmental hazards as well as exerting increasing pressure on the limited infrastructural facilities of Loktak Lake. There is no re-circulated sewage disposal system in Loktak. There is no drainage. Household waste water is either left open or drained into the small and narrow ditches along the roadsides which eventually end up in the lake. Only about 35 per cent of the houses have septic tanks but, due to poor construction quality, many of these leak and seep directly or indirectly into the lake. It is also reported that many of the septic tanks do not have slabs at the bottom. Some restaurants and hotels are only a few metres from the lake. Overflow of old and overloaded septic tanks is natural.

The environmental problems created by the development of hotels and lodges in Loktak Lake have hampered the natural eco-system of the lake areas. The number of hotels, shops and rest house built has also had an impact on settlements. Along the Loktak Lake alone more than 100 settlements have been identified as having either emerged or grown directly as a result of tourism. These include settlements that emerged earlier solely because of tourism or temporary settlements that became permanent as a result of tourism. Recently 43 settlements have been identified in the Sendra Tourist Home and Keibul Lamjao National Park. In many of the tourist areas in Manipur, tourism industry has been responsible for the creation of new settlements and conservation and change in the old settlements.

(b) Tourism and Deforestation: One of the most widely discussed issues of mountain tourism in the protected areas of Manipur, including Keibul Lamjao National Park, is its links with forest degradation and deforestation. The demand for firewood by tourism and associated tourism activities in the touristic areas has the most significant effect on forests, vegetation, and wildlife. This is based on the assumption that the Hill people depend on wood for about 87% of their energy requirements, and that large numbers of tourists in the hill areas inevitably places the mountain environment under considerably more pressure.

Deforestation in Manipur is taking place on a massive scale and at an accelerating rate, which creates serious problems of soil erosion in the hills, mountains and steep terrains: rapid run-off leads to water scarcity, and devastation as a result of floods in some areas. This reckless depletion of forests has grave consequences for more than 90 per cent of the population who live in rural areas. This in a way implies that, the fate of the hill peoples in particular, and of the state as a whole could be gloomy. Further, loss, degradation or fragmentation of habitat is the main threat to biodiversity



conservation. Illegal exploitation of forest resources, poaching and illegal trade of such resources and pollution are some of the other major threats in the conservation of biodiversity in Manipur.

(c) Tourism and Soil Erosion: Tourism can bring on site impacts like soil erosion and compaction, disturbance to wildlife, trampling of vegetation, accidental introduction of exotic plants and increased frequency of forest fires. Soil erosion along trails, root exposure, deep ruts and excessive trail widths are reportedly widespread throughout the mountain areas of Manipur. This results in a vicious cycle of degradation. Owing to the heavy visitor traffic, trail conditions in the Dzuko Valley and Siroy Hills are deteriorating. Dzuko valley which is supposed to be a strict nature reserve was observed with incidence of water contamination caused by human or animal faeces. And most of the natural vegetations between Ukhrul Town and Khangkhui Cave and Tharon Cave in Tamenglong district have been destroyed. Many trails exhibit signs of soil erosion, and are deeply incised.

Sustainable development and diversification of mountain tourism in Manipur seems to be the need of the hour. It involves harnessing and nurturing renewable environmental resources that can fulfil the economic, social, and aesthetic needs of hill/tribal communities and tourists of present and future generations At the same time, maintenance of cultural integrity, essential ecological processes, and biological diversity and life support systems found in Hill environments will provide key to sustainable tourism development in Manipur.

Tourism in Manipur is a classic case of lack of sustainability due to absence of attention paid to its multi-faceted nature. It is evident from the environmental planning in Imphal valley which is marked by unregulated urbanization, cultural deterioration and poor hygienic and sanitary conditions. This has affected tourism not only in the Imphal valley but also other parts of the State. One of the major constraints facing tourist industry in Manipur and particularly Imphal valley was the failure of the municipal government in disposing solid waste which blamed the State government for having failed to provide it with a dumping site. Such a failure in the peak tourist season could hurt the arrival of tourists in the future and act as a potential health hazard to the locals.

(d) Sewage and Water Pollution: On top of these, water quality is degraded from the seepage of urban sewer and from household/hotel effluents. Use of contaminated water is causing epidemics of diarrheal diseases for the children during pre and post monsoon season. Thus, it is observed that, unregulated urbanization, law and order problems, Protected



Area Permit (PAP), and Inner Line Permit (ILP), cultural deterioration and poor hygienic and sanitary conditions have discouraged many potential tourists in Manipur. Manipur’s image as gateway to the “South East Asia” is eroding fast due to the poor image of the state as polluted, unsafe, mismanaged and misgoverned.

(e) Environmental Pollution: On top of these, the rapid development of tourism and the increasing tourists inflow in Manipur would also have an indirect impact on the urban environment in the form of air, water and noise pollutions especially in the urban areas like Imphal, Moirang and Bishnupur. The pollution of urban environment (air, water, noise and the accumulation of solid waste) however, is not wholly the outcome of tourism but it accentuates water, air and noise pollution through an increased demand for vehicular traffic, more water for sanitation, more infrastructures and more goods and services to cater to the needs of the visitors. The main pollutant is vehicular emission due to impure or adulterated petrol and diesel. Noise pollution from airplanes, cars, guns, Bombs and buses, as well as recreational vehicles such as snowmobiles and motor boats, is an ever-growing problem of modern life. In addition to causing annoyance, stress, and even hearing loss for humans, it causes distress to wildlife, especially in sensitive areas. For instance, noise generated by gunshots and bomb blast at Keibul Lamjao National Park areas can cause animals to alter their natural activity patterns.

Conclusion:

The key to sustainable development of tourism entails the involvement of local indigenous people not only in determining the form tourism should take, but also in controlling the way how income from tourism should be spent to benefit their communities on the one hand and protect their culture and natural ecosystem of the areas on the other. As long as local people see the benefits of tourism, they will become more efficient guardians of their natural environment and cultural heritage. A radical change of government policy is needed so that a larger proportion of revenue earned from tourism can go to the local people, whether from government revenues, outside funding or income earned directly.

Without adequate local control, self-reliance and strong participation of the local indigenous populace in decision-making, tourism is likely to benefit only a few rich individuals, often outsiders, at the expense of a large, poor section of the indigenous community. Indigenous communities, especially the tribals in the hill areas lack financial, technical and managerial resources, which hinders their ability to develop and market tourism attractions effectively. It is often the outside stake-holders such as tourism developers,



entrepreneurs and tour operators who have the knowledge and the resources to make tourism a competitive business. Thus, tourism policies must carefully balance the interests of local indigenous communities with those of outside stake-holders.

A uniform and systematic environmental policy and solid waste management policy should be adopted. It is high time that the government should regulate or control trekking and mountaineering activities according to its carrying capacities. Overcrowding or overused of the trekking trails/route have resulted in the erosion, deforestation of the trek and forest in the areas. The carrying capacity of each major trail and destination has to be determined in terms of fuel demand, garbage waste disposal problems, available accommodation, and the sheer congestion of the tourist trail at a given period. Higher fees have to be imposed on areas with a fragile environment. Fees can also be differentiated according to the seasons.

If tourism is based on principles of sustainability and equity, it can be instrumental in improving the livelihood conditions of ethnic communities by increasing their stakes and interests in local, state and national policy issues. Sustainability encompasses ecological, economic and social components. In the context of tourism development, this means that both the types and intensity of tourism activities in the state must have limits, and that benefits must reach the larger community.

Thus it is clearly important to monitor, regulate and control activities that may jeopardize the resource based on which tourism depends. Economic and social monitoring is also important to ensure that differences in income and employment from tourism do not create social friction or disharmony. Ecotourism plans should not only focus on resource conservation but should also address issues of equity, community development and social harmony. Sustainable tourism encompasses three basic components: conservation of natural resources on which tourism depends; improvement in the quality of life of the local population; and enhancement of visitor’s satisfaction.

To realize these, effective policies and control mechanisms, strong local and regional institutions and sound management capabilities based on both modern and traditional knowledge systems are necessary. Without these essential elements, tourism could easily be a short-term boom-and-bust enterprise.



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6. Tooman, L.Alex, “Multipliers and Life Cycles: A Comparision of Methods for evaluating Tourism and its Impacts”, Journal of Economic Issues, Vol.XXX1,No.4,December,1997.

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ABOUT THE CENTRE

Social exclusion is a multidimensional process of progressive social rupture, detaching groups and individuals from social relations and institutions and preventing them from full participation in the normal, normatively prescribed activities o the society in which they live. The concept of social exclusion is of recent origin and many of our socio-political problems are increasingly attributed to social exclusion in the broadest sense. Our constitution guarantees equality to all citizens yet we are not above different forms of discrimination and inequality. The most elementary pre requisite for the building of a democratic society is overcoming exclusion. Acknowledging that overcoming all forms of exclusion and discrimination is not only a pre requisite for a strong and vibrant democratic state but obligatory for a plural state like India, that the University Grant Commission have approved the establishment of Centres in universities for study of social exclusion and inclusive policy in 2006. The centre for the study of social exclusion and inclusive policy was established in Manipur University by the University Grants Commission on 17th May 2008. The main objectives of the Centre are: to conceptualize and understand the nature and dynamics of social exclusion and suggest for inclusive policies; to study the extent of social exclusion; to develop and understand the nature of discrimination at an empirical level; to make comparative study of exclusion and inclusion in the state vis-à-vis India; to suggest and recommend in the formulation of policies for uplifting the rights of excluded groups and hence eradicating the problem of exclusion and discrimination.

The centre aims at building an egalitarian Manipuri society through dynamic, innovative, inclusive modes of proven quality education and preserving the cultural diversity while promoting communal harmony at all levels. The centre visualises social change by creating a socio-economic and politico-legal justice and sense of pride and dignity in every citizen through inclusive means. It also aims at liberating the marginalised section of the society by redeeming them from their misery and tragic sufferings and ultimately to include them in the mainstream socio-economic and political processes and development by way of inclusive approach.



Vision

Our vision is to develop the appropriate categories in terms of which social exclusion can be best understood and minimised to the extent possible by making it as transient as possible.

Mission

• To study the many dimensions of social exclusion in the region• To keep a tab on dynamics of social exclusion in the region • To provide a forum where experiences can be shared• To disseminate the finding of such study and experience sharing

among stakeholders

Objectives

• The main objectives of the Centre are:1. The main objectives of the Centre is to study the plans and

policies related to the disadvantaged groups and to analyzes and review the studied literatures regarding social exclusion and discrimination in India and especially Manipur and other North Eastern states of India.

2. It also aims to create awareness at every levels and areas so as to rmpower the marginalized section of the society.

3. To develop distinctive approach to social exclusion4. To create index and indicators on social exclusion5. To critically evaluate the existing public policies vis-à-vis

social exclusion6. To Develop alternative model for future public policy

initiatives.7. To conceptualise discrimination, exclusion and inclusion

based on ethnicity, religion, age, race, gender, physical and psychological abilities in the Indian context

8. To formulate policy guidelines for protecting the rights of socially excluded groups and suggesting ways of eradicating the problem of exclusion and discrimination.

9. Developing an understanding of discrimination at an empirical level.

10. To eliminate social exclusion in all forms from the society11. To spread the feeling of oneness of human kind.12. To develop an understanding of the nature and dimensions

of discrimination and exclusion.



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