Woman pensioner dies
Will Chief Minister sack the insensitive Minister?
Source: Hueiyen News Service

Imphal, April 15 2015 : Social welfare Minister AK Mirabai arrogantly and contemptuously ignored the reports in all the three editions of Hueiyen Lanpao published on April 11 with graphic photographs on the trials and tribulations the old pensioners have to undergo to collect their meagre amount.

She had also passed remarks against the media which is very unbecoming of a Minister.

Had she made amends, a precious life could have been saved on Wednesday.

But it is not known if the Chief Minister is thinking in terms of sacking the controversial Minister who cannot distance herself from the death of the woman.

Mirabai and all other Ministers including the chief minister owe an explanation to the people as to why there is politics in the disbursement of pension.

The pensioneer in a pool of blood while a young man tries to help her

A fact they cannot deny is that on this fateful day Congress MLA RK Anand was distributing money to the pensioners of his constituency under well erected tents.

But this facility was denied to the NCP MLA Laisom Ibomcha and the pensioners in his constituency simply because he is in the opposition.

The constituencies are adjacent and the Congress cannot give any convincing and coherent explanation for this politics.

The old woman Irengbam Purnimashi (70) wife of late I.Kalachand of Pishum Ningom Leirak had gone with her grandson at 8 am for the meagre amount at I MR ground.

Like others they stayed under the searing sun.

At 12:10 pm she vomited blood.

Later a commando team evacuated her to RIMS.

But she died on the way.

Rangitabali Waikhom, the social welfare director in damage control measure told reporters that the dept is trying to distribute pension money timely and without causing harassment.

There is a shortage of staff and monthly payment cannot be done due to financial constraints.

She made the momentous announcement that from Thursday pension money will not be distributed at I MR ground.

The staff expressed sorrow and visited the house of the dead woman.

However the angry family members said that the Government should be held squarely responsible for the death.

Besides the NCP MLA is distraught and said that if corrective measures are not taken up there will be more untoward incidents.

If the Minister and her staff had paid heed to the newspaper reports, a precious life could have been saved.