Rio seeks justice on disaster from the central team

DIMAPUR — Elaborating that Nagaland is prone to mudslides, landslides, land subsidence etc., due to its topography and roadways being the lifeline with railway connectivity only in Dimapur, Chief Minister, Neiphiu Rio, has urged the Inter-Ministerial Central Team (IMCT) to do justice to the people of the state.

Rio stated this during a briefing with the IMCT members and officials from line departments on September 10. IMCT members are in the state from September 10 to the 13th.

The team is headed by Anant Kishore Saran, joint secretary (FF&R), MHA, GoI, along with MS Saravana Kumar, superintending engineer, Ministry Jal Shakti, Department of Water Resources, Regional Office Central Water Commission, Shillong (Meghalaya); Adelbert Susngi, superintending engineer, Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, Regional Office Guwahati; Ranjana Saini, assistant director, Ministry of Rural Development, New Delhi; and Atul Bamnai, section officer, Department of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance, New Delhi.

An update from Nagaland State Disaster Management Authority (NSDMA) stated that the team leader has affirmed cooperation and support and try to fill up the gaps. He stated that the team would visit the districts of Zunheboto and Tuensang for on-the-spot assessment of the situation in the state.

Stating that extensive damage was seen in the state, the team leader informed that data collated and compiled would be submitted to the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, in the form of NDRF Memorandum.

It stated that the team on their visit for on-the-spot assessment to Zunheboto district visited disaster affected sites and interacted with the public. They also had a briefing session with the DDMA of Tuensang, Shamator and Noklak districts.

A debriefing was also held with the Advisor of NSDMA and NRE, Nyuthe, along with Nagaland Chief Secretary and other line departments on Friday.

The advisor expressed his gratitude to the IMCT for their visit to the state and also gave a brief disaster profile of the state.

Meanwhile, the team leader, Anant Kishore Saran, has thanked the state government for the hospitality and also lauded the NSDMA for the progress made in using modern technology to tackle disasters facing the state.