Month: July 2017

By A Staff Reporter

IMPHAL | July 31

Chief minister N. Biren Singh today urged all the members of the Assembly to stand as one to firmly deal with the liquor business in the state to prevent repeat of the tragedy that struck Oinam Sawombung, claiming five lives and sending scores to hospitals.

“We have only two options. One is to amend the Manipur Liquor Prohibition Act to ban brewing completely or legalise it if country business cannot be stopped and drives against distilling and bootlegging cannot check it,” Biren, who is also the leader of the House, said responding to a call attention motion moved by Congress member K. Meghanchadra.

Biren said drive against liquor is not going to check the menace.

Meghachandra urged the chief minister to investigate the Oinam Sawombung liquor tragedy, punish guilty persons and pay compensation to the kins of the victims.

The member charged that the government has failed in enforcing Manipur Liquor Prohibition Act, 1991.

Deputy chief minister Y. Joykumar said till today five people have died and 81 treated at hospitals. While 24 are still undergoing treatment in critical condition in two hospitals, the rest were discharged.

He said Mayang Imphal police registered a case and arrested two distillers. Liquor samples were collected and sent for laboratory test.

Joykumar did not rule out possibility of mixing of methyl alcohol, which is very poisonous in the liquor that caused the tragedy.

Responding to the motion Biren said after his government came, drives against liquor and drug by the police with helps from communities have been intensified. During the past four months 11,000 bottles of IMFL and 8000 litres of country liquor have been seized.

Brewers and bootleggers take advantage of the provision in the act that allows brewing for use during religious and customary rituals with prior permission from the excise commissioner and produce huge quantity of liquor, leading to such tragedy. Many died due to liquor and many women become widows, he said.

“The government takes the matter very seriously. Drives are not going check brewing and bootlegging. For the interest of some sections all the people should not be made to suffer. There should not be two laws for a state,” Biren said referring to the provision that allows brewing.

The chief minister further said a meeting of all political parties can be convened after the Assembly session. “All the members should be united and unanimous. If necessary an ordinance can be issued. If enforcing the act is not going to be successful we can consider legalising it so that quality liquor can be produced,” he said.

The chief minister appealed to distillers and bootleggers to stop their business and opt for government schemes for livelihood.

The Congress member urged the chief minister to take initiative as soon as possible, if possible even during the current session.

IMPHAL | July 31

Chief minister N. Biren Singh said that the government is taking serious concern on the issue of illegal migrants and would assess and discuss carefully the issue in the state. He said this in the Assembly today.

Replying to the question raised by MLA R.K. Imo on the steps taken up by the government to check the influx of illegal migrants in the state and the agitation by students the chief minister said that the government would look into the provisions given under the Constitution to check the influx of illegal migrants in the state.

He assured the House that the government would identify the number of migrants living in the state, check the electoral rolls and spot verification would be done on the issue. If illegal migrants are detected during the verification process, he/she will be deported instantly, he added.

He appealed the student organizations to call off the current agitation demanding reservation of seats at eight Assembly constituencies for indigenous people of the state.

Replying to another question raised by MLA D. Korungthang, on whether there is any plan for infrastructure development of Tengnoupal police station, Biren said that the government is making assessment of the infrastructure of the existing station. He informed the House that 177 police personnel excluding Superintendent of Police are performing their duty in the district.

Replying to a question from MLA S. Bira Singh on the number of Sangai in Keibul Lamjao and any measures taken up to save Sangai from extinction, minister for forest and environment Th. Shyamkumar said that total number of Sangai in Keibul Lamjao as per the survey conducted in the year 2016 is 260.

The demarcation of the boundary of Keibul Lamjao National Park is still in process and will be completed soon, he added. He maintained that to protect and save Sangai, methods and measures such as electric or solar fencing would be constructed after consultation with NGOs and officials of the department, from illegal poaching of endangered Sangai.

Shyamkumar, who is in-charge of MAHUD, said that 11 wards of Imphal Municipal Corporation and 5 towns of the state have been declared as open defecation free areas by the Centre.

The 5 towns are Kakching Municipal Council, Moirang Municipal Council, Bishnupur Municipal Council, Nambol Municipal Council and Lilong Imphal West Nagar Panchayat. He stressed that 1130 latrines have been constructed in the State so far. This was stated by the minister replying to the query by MLA Nambol N. Loken Singh on the cleanliness measures under the Swachh Bharat Mission in Imphal and other towns of the state.

The minister further said that the ministry of housing and urban development has increased the central share in providing financial assistance to construct the latrines to Rs. 10,800 which was earlier fixed at Rs. 4,000.

During the question and answer session, Shyamkumar said that the Centre under the Mission Organic Farming North East has released an amount of Rs. 8.37 crore for 2015-16, Rs. 7,36,78,500 for 2016-17 and Rs. 8,94,21,000 for the year 2017-18. A total of 230 clusters have been identified for organic farming in the State.

From Our Correspondent

UKHRUL | July 31

The Committee for Scarcity of Water in Ukhrul Town (CFSWUT) visited Kacham Kong and Shinguira Kong at Shirui to take stock of the ongoing water pipeline projects, as there has been scarcity of water for the past two months due to cyclone Mora.

The team visited the areas where two intake tanks and one collection chamber are under construction at Kacham Kong and Shinguira Kong and the other at Kokthi Kongrei at Shirui, for which Rs 82 Lakhs have been allotted.

The construction and laying of DI pipes at Kokthi Kongrei a distance of 9 km has been completed and has started functioning since July 17.

The ongoing repairing of roads from Shirui to Zingsui Ngapum village and frequent landslide at various places has continuously hampered the ongoing laying of DI pipes.

According to the contractor, the laying of DI pipes at Kacham Kong and Shinguira is likely to be completed at the second week of August 2017.

The Convenor for CFSWUT, Vaomi has appealed to the authority concerned and contractor to expedite the project at the earliest in interest of Ukhrul populace and asserted that no compromise should be made on quality.