Manipur PCC urges Modi to announce recent hailstorm as national disaster

Imphal: President of Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC), Keisham Meghachandra has sought Prime Minister Narendra Modi to declare the recent hailstorm incident in Manipur as natural disaster and to grant immediate relief of a minimum of Rs 200 crore for affected people of Manipur in a time bound manner.

In connection with that the Manipur PCC president has sent a letter to the Prime Minister through PMO on Friday.

In the letter Meghachandra sought attention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the recent unprecedented natural disaster in the form of hailstorm with strong wing in extreme weather condition in different parts of Manipur on May 5.

The hailstorm affected large parts of the state which the people of Manipur had not experienced such a natural disaster in the history, affecting nearly thousands of houses and affected lakhs of people of Manipur.

A team of MPCC members led by Meghachandra inspected some affected houses in Naoriya Pakhanglakpa Assembly Constituency along with its general secretary S. Manaoton.

During the visit, Meghachandra said chief minister N. Biren Singh had claimed officially that a total of 15,425 houses were affected due to the recent hailstorm occurred on May 5. As necessary assistance the government has also sanctioned Rs 6.90 crore under state disaster relief fund which is not appropriate.

Meghachandra said in Imphal East district a total of 5,600 houses were damaged and 6,053 houses were damaged in Imphal West district. However, the chief minister had announced earlier that 15 lakh each will be sanctioned for each affected valley district. The sanctioned amount for each district will not meet necessary assistance, he added.

In addition to the affected houses many vegetable farms, poultry firms and others are also affected during the thunderstorm. The present sanctioned amount is like putting a pinch of salt in Loktak Lake, he said.

If the state has not good relation with the central government then the government could adjust some financial package from other department as an alternative measure, he added.