Declare natural calamity : Dr Meinya
Source: The Sangai Express

New Delhi, May 02 2016: Lok Sabha MP Dr T Meinya has raised the losses incurred by the people and the State due to the recent earthquakes and the recent hailstorms that lashed different parts of the State on the floor of Parliament today and urged the Centre to declare the same a natural calamity.

Raising the issue, Dr Meinya said that nature continues to unleash its fury in the North Eastern parts of India and recalled that in January this year, a severe earthquake of 6.8 magnitude on the Richter scale rocked the region with its epicentre being at Noney in western Manipur.

Last month, another severe earthquake of almost the same magnitude rocked the region once again with its epicentre being in Myanmar.

Now, heavy rains accompanied by violent hailstorms, fast winds and lightning swept across the region last week causing heavy damages, landslides, etc.

This time too, thousands of houses, standing crops and vegetables were damaged by the heavy rain accompanied by hailstorms that swept across the State, said the MP.

In almost all districts of Manipur, the violent hailstorm wreaked havoc and houses have been marooned by water.

The Corrugated Iron (CI) sheet roofs of houses were also extensively damaged by giant hailstones.

Most of the affected people do not have shelter for sleeping and cooking now, he added.

Listing the heavy losses suffered by the people, Dr Meinya urged the Centre to immediately intervene and help the State Governments of the North Eastern region and the Government of Manipur, in particular, in their tasks of disaster response and rehabilitation by declaring the same as a natural calamity.

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