Rs. 100 crore for action plan to check flood in NE

IMPHAL | Sept 8

Chief minister N. Biren Singh has said that the central government has sanctioned Rs 100 crore to study the causes of frequent floods in the North East region and prepare an action plan to check it.

He was speaking as the chief guest at the inaugural session of a Convention on climate change – Manipur state action plan on climate change, 2013, organised by Centre for Social Development (CSD) at 1 MR banquet hall today.

The chief minister said during a recent review meeting on the recent flash floods, Prime Minister Narendra Modi informed the chief ministers of the North East states about sanctioning of the said amount.

Biren said that North East region is home to around 280 ethnic communities speaking around 170 dialects.

Biren said that people are talking about protecting the indigenous population of the region, whereas it seems that they take less interest in protecting the indigenous properties – the rich floras and faunas of the region.

Stating that the Prime Minister has a long-term plan to tackle climate change and global warming, Biren contended that Ujwala and Housing for All Schemes are part of it.

He contended that the government should be practical in its approach and it needs to provide replacements of the traditional way of living and livelihood to the people.

Biren said that free LPG connections are being provided to BPL families under Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana so that deforestation for fire-woods can be checked.

Likewise, the government is also helping people to own concrete houses under Pradhan Mantri Awaj Yoajana (Housing for All scheme), he added.

Stating that mere shouting of environment protection slogans without being practical would lead to nowhere, the chief minister said that efforts are being made to convert garbage into fuel to replace charcoal as well.

Maintaining that people must be aware that heavy rainfall and flash floods had started wreaking havoc in the hills as well apart from valley areas, Biren reminded the gathering that natural calamities never spare anybody on the basis of religion and community.

As such, the humankind should join hands as one family to take up necessary measures in advance to avoid natural calamities, he observed.

PHE minister Losii Dikho and environmentalist and BJP spokesperson R. K. Ranjan also attended the function as guest of honour and president respectively.

In his speech, Losii Dikho opined that people should begin environment protection from personal levels. Mere holding of functions and conventions without dedication and conviction in this regard would not serve any purpose, he added.

Speaking at the occasion, Ranjan said that all the development plans of the government should be prepared taking the possible impacts on environment into consideration.

North East region is not only known as the Indo-Burma biodiversity hotspot but also as a confluence of species migrants because numerous species from Indo-Malaysian, Chinese and Indian regions had migrated to the North East.

As such, people of the North East should do whatever possible to protect this rich bio-diversity resource for a sustainable living, he opined.

Delegates from all the eight North Eastern states also took part in the convention.