‘Ethnic violence in Manipur deeply hurt Mizo society’ — Mizoram CM

AIZAWL — Mizoram Chief Minister Zoramthanga on Tuesday said that the violent ethnic conflict in Manipur which has deeply aggrieved the entire Mizo society has also caused intense pain to the entire nation.

The Chief Minister said this after hoisting the Tricolour on the occasion of 77th Independence Day’s function here at the Assam Rifles ground.

He said that since May 3, a series of unfortunate and deplorable incidents in Manipur have deeply aggrieved the entire Mizo society.

Since the very start of the political and ethnic turmoil in Manipur, the Mizoram government has kept a close watch and has taken a number of steps for the safety and security of Mizos who were stuck in Imphal, particularly students of various disciplines, Zoramthanga said.

He said that the state government also took up relief and rehabilitation measures immediately for the internally displaced people from Manipur, who have sought shelter in Mizoram.

The Chief Minister said that the state government spent more than INR 36 lakh to airlift and evacuate 264 residents of Mizoram.

About 12,509 displaced persons from Manipur have arrived in Mizoram till July 18, he said adding that to accommodate the displaced people (of Manipur), relief camps have been set up in Aizawl and other districts.

More than 2,388.50 quintals of foodgrain have been distributed to those who have taken shelter in Mizoram.

“It is heartening to witness how the civil society, NGOs, church bodies and individuals have contributed immensely both in cash and in-kind to provide relief and shelter to these affected people. The state government has allocated Rs 5 crore for their relief and shelter,” the Chief Minister said.

He said that the state government has requested the Central government to sanction at least INR 10 crore for providing bare necessities to these displaced people from Manipur who are seeking refuge in Mizoram.

The Chief Minister said that to ensure that international border areas (along Myanmar and Bangladesh) are secure from anti-national elements, the Mizoram Police, in collaboration with border guarding forces like Border Security Force and Assam Rifles, also conducts patrolling in bordering areas.

Referring to the drugs menace, the Chief Minister said that the Police seized huge quantities of illicit drugs and narcotic substances worth INR 2,077.68 crore approximately and 1,900 criminal cases had been registered while 610 drug peddlers were arrested.

Since its inception in the year 2020, the Cyber Crime police station has recovered or put on hold a total amount of INR 36,75,268. Out of the 64 accused persons arrested in connection with cybercrime cases, 18 persons have been convicted.

The Chief Minister stated that under the PM-DevINE Scheme, two major projects have been sanctioned: ‘The Aizawl By-pass on the Western Side,’ with a budget of INR 500 crore, and the ‘Pilot Project for Construction of Bamboo Link Road at different locations in various districts in Mizoram,’ with a budget of INR 100 crore.

He mentioned that the African Swine Fever (ASF) pandemic, which had occurred twice in the state before, is now likely to experience a third wave of the pandemic.

In 2021, around INR 117 crore was sanctioned by the central government as culling compensation for 12,568 pigs and the amount was distributed to 2,488 affected families.

The Chief Minister stated that over 11,686 pigs were culled due to the outbreak of the second wave of the ASF pandemic last year, and the culling compensation report has already been submitted to the central government.