Imphal, July 15 2009: An engineer escaped life attempt even as his driver succumbed to injuries when two suspected militants opened fire at the engineer of the Loktak Development Authority (LDA) around 4.20 pm today.

Condemning the attack, MLA Dr I Ibohalbi said that the act of causing disturbance to the developmental and welfare works of the people is a challenge to the people, not to the government authority implementing the works.

The driver identified as Yumnam Manichand (40) son of Late Madhumangol of Khurai Nandeibam Leikai who sustained bullet injuries in his left hand and stomach succumbed to his injuries later tonight at Shija Hospitals where he was admitted for treatment around 7.55 pm.

He was the personal driver of the Executive Engineer of LDA, Oinam Ibopishak who excaped attack on his life.

The incident occurred at about 4.20 pm at Oinam Salanpham Lairenkabi under Nambol police station of Bishnupur district while the engineer was personally supervising the work of cleaning a river using JCP machines at the locality under the work programme of the LDA.

Eyewitness accounts say that two miscreants suspected to be militants jumped down from a Tata Tipper coming on the road toward where the engineer was inspecting the work site at the joining place of Oinam and Nambul river and asked the engineer to stop the work and go with them to have talk.

While, the engineer refused to step in into the Tata tipper, the miscreants tried to shoot at the engineer with guns taken out from their possessions.

One youth of the locality named Soibam Priyobarta (36) who was nearby the engineer blocked them from shooting guns towards the engineer.

Despite strong resistance of the youth, the two gunmen opened fire guns towards the engineer.

Missing the target, one of the bullets hit to the driver who was also nearby the engineer at his left hand and then to his belly.

Local MLA of Oinam Assembly Constituency who arrived at the spot strongly condemned the act of the miscreants giving disturbances to the developmental works taken up by the LDA for the welfare of the people.

He said, the work for cleaning the joining place of the Nambul and Oinam river has been taken up by the LDA to control frequent overflow of the water and flooding Oinam and its surrounding villages.

The work has been taken up to drain the water by enlarging the three kilometer length canal at the joining place 35 feet.

The work is not a contract work but implemented by LDA bearing all the expenditures and providing JCP and excavators.

It is not a good sign to give hindrance in taking up developmental works.

The act of the gunmen is not only a challenged to the people of Oinam but also to the entire populace of the state, he added.

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