ATCF warns of bandh over pending drought relief
Source: Chronicle News Service
Imphal, September 26 2022:
Drawing the attention of chief minister N Biren and relief & disaster management minister Awangbow Newmai towards the long pending issue of drought relief of 2019, All Tribal Chiefs' Forum (ATCF) Manipur has warned that if the government fails to release the relief assistance before October 15, it will resort to highway bandh in hill districts till the government fulfils their demand.
In a release, ATCF Manipur secretary general Kabidon Gonmei recounted that the state government declared Manipur as drought affected state in year 2019 and had asked NDRF, Union Ministry of Home Affairs for grant of relief to the affected victims/farmers.
Subsequently, NDRF released a relief amount of more than Rs 26 crore in October 2020 with the same deposited into the SDRF account for disbursal to all the affected districts through DDMA account.
However, the fund has been either diverted or frozen for reason best known to the government.
Many representations, memorandums and reminders have been submitted but no positive response has been forthcoming till date, it lamented.
ATCF stressed that as per the existing norms, the relief assistance fund cannot be diverted to any other purposes and it should be given to the affected victims immediately.
Now, they have run out of patience and can no longer keep waiting any further.
The government must release the fund at the earliest or they will impose bandh on NH in hill areas and any unwanted consequences arising out of this will be the sole responsibility of the government, it reiterated.