House pays tribute to ex-MLA Thambal, landslide victims
Source: Chronicle News Service
Imphal, July 25 2022:
The second session of
the 12th Manipur Legislative
Assembly began with obituary references on the demise
of former Kakching MLA
Yengkhom Thambal Singh
and victims of the landslides
at Makhuam village in Noney
district on June 29 and in
Pherzawl district on July 7 .
Speaker Thokchom Satyabrata moved a resolution
in the House expressing
deep and profound sorrow
on the demise of the former member of the Manipur
Legislative Assembly and
for the loss of lives due to
landslides.
The House also
observed a two-minute silence as a mark of respect for
the departed souls.
Initiating the obituary
reference, power minister
Thongam Biswajit said that
Yengkhom Thambal was
first elected as a member
of the Legislative Assembly
in 1984 as an independent
candidate from Kakching
Assembly Constituency.
He
was socialist by nature and a
brave soul who followed Ram
Manohar Lohia, the minister
said, adding that Thambal
worked not only for Kakching AC but for other areas as
well during his tenure.
After retirement from
government service, Thambal joined Socialist Party of India and remained
as general secretary and
president of the party in
1971 and 1974 respectively
apart from taking active part
in the movement for demanding statehood in 1970
and 1975-77.Moreover, he
also spent four years in jail
during the emergency period, recalled Biswajit, adding
that the former MLA, who
passed away on July 17 at
the age of 94, is survived by
his wife, two sons and three
daughters.
The minister also reflected
on the Makhuam landslide
stating that altogether 79
individuals were victims of
the natural disaster, out of
whom 61 persons have been
declared dead, including 58,
whose bodies have been retrieved while three others
are still missing.
Another
18 individuals were rescued
alive, he added.
Biswajit further stated that
the search and rescue operations started immediately
by Territorial Army, local
villagers and district administration.
The chief minister
himself went to the spot and
pressed into service various
government machineries including SDRF and NDRF, fire
brigade, transport, medical
among others in the search
and rescue operation, minister Biswajit added.
He also informed the House that the government has announced payment of ex-gratia of
Rs 5 lakh each for the deceased and Rs 50,000
each for the injured persons.
He expressed
sorrow and shared the grief of the families
and further prayed for the speedy recovery
of the injured persons.
Biswajit also expressed sorrow over the
landslide incident which occurred on July 7
around 7 am at Saihum village of Pherzawl
district, which claimed the lives of two and
left 10 injured.
The CM handed over Rs 5 lakh
each to the next of kin of the two deceased
persons, Rs 12,700 each to those who suffered
serious injuries and Rs 4,300 each to others
who sustained minor injuries.
Opposition leader Okram Ibobi, while
participating in the obituary reference, remembered Y Thambal as a soft spoken, cool
tempered yet a brave social worker.
He played
major role in the statehood movement and
his demise is a great loss for the state, Ibobi
said while sharing the grief and pain of the
bereaved family.
Describing the Makhuam landslide as one
of the worst tragedies in the state, Ibobi
prayed that such tragic incidents never occur
in future.
At the same time, it is also a lesson
for the people, the former CM said, while
expressing grief over the death of two persons
in the Pherzawl landslide and sharing pain of
the bereaved families.
Water resources minister Awangbow Newmai, MLAs Kh Joykisan
and M Rameshwar also participated in the
obituary reference and shared solidarity to
the bereaved families in their hour of crisis.
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