Our Correspondent
IMPHAL, January 8
Five days after the powerful earthquake and two days after Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Manipur Pradesh demanded a probe into the alleged poor maintenance of quality in the construction of iconic Mothers’ market popularly known as Ima Keithel, Union Minister of Environment, Forest & Climate Change (Independent) Prakash Javadekar on Friday said he will report to the concerned minister.
Environment minister Prakash Javadekar made his remark while inspecting the damage portion of the market buildings in Imphal along with BJP Manipur Pradesh president Th Chaoba led team on Friday.He also expressed unhappiness over the report of damaging government buildings including just 5 years old market building in the January 4 earthquake that hit Manipur and its neighbouring region which claim 8 lives, left 120 injured besides damaging more than 1000 buildings and structures in Manipur alone.
Environment minister Javadekar air dashed here on (Friday) a 2-day visit to Manipur to take the first hand account of the shifting cultivation scenario in Manipur as part of his NE states visit including Mizoram and Tripura.
Meanwhile the villagers of Kabui khullen, the epicentre of January 4 earthquake, located about 100 km north west of Imphal in Tamenglong district, urged the concerned authority to make them understand clearly whether they are safe at their own village or not.
“We want something concrete from the government side,” feels a villager of Kabui Khullen. Sharing a similar sentiment, Amu Kamei, president of Zeliangrong Union also urged the state government to conduct necessary research works and examination in the village so that the apprehension of the villagers could be eased.
Kabui Khullen has been witnessing many cracks not only in the playground but in most of the floor of their houses after the January 4 powerful tremor.”At the same time some researchers from Delhi during their visit here inform that our village will not be safe during rainy seasons”, another villager said.
Despite the report of reports of creating new springs in Noney,another hill station close to the epicentre in Tamenglong,many voluntary organisations and private hospitals have started distributing relief materials and organised medical camps for the needy villagers.
A team of National disaster response team had also organised an awareness programme on earthquake for the villagers on Thursday.In another development, market authorities and students bodies have requested the concerned authorities to take repairing or construction works on war footing as most of the markets sheds in the satellite towns of Imphal and educational institutions buildings were damaged in the recent earthquake.
“We want the government to take up repairing works before the winter vacation is over,”General secretary S Apollo of Oriental college in Imphal said.”Otherwise it will be difficult for us to attend classes.” K Jagat, a functionary of Kongba market body also demanded immediate reconstruction or repairing of the damage market sheds in public interest.
