AMTU seeks tunnel in landslide prone area
Source: Hueiyen News Service
Imphal, July 13 2011:
All Manipur Tribal Union (AMTU) has sent a memorandum to Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh seeking construction of tunnel through the landslide prone mountain near K Sinam village, 38 km from Imphal on National Highway 53 where a massive avalanche of boulders on July 6 killed six state security personnel while injuring
eight others critically.
Because of the steeply overhanging rocky structure, this portion of the national highway is prone to landslide especially during monsoon season.
Landslides have been occurring at the site every year since the existence of the highway, said the memorandum signed by president and general secretary of AMTU DP Panmei and Romeo Bungdon respectively.
The prime minister has therefore been asked to construct a tunnel through the mountain measuring about 500 meters so that landslide tragedy may be avoided in the future.
Further, the tribal body maintained that even the normal development of National Highway 53 is not progressing as expected let alone providing technical and scientific solution to the persistent problem of the highway.
When inquired, it is learnt from the BRO unit that the abject delay in the development of the highway is due to non release of sufficient fund by the Union government, said the ATMU memorandum, while also adding that there seems to be a tug-of-war for a share of contract works along the highway.
This must be overruled in the interest of public safety, it said.