Earth crack at Haijang, Twilang road widen Nemcha Kipgen surveys fissure sites
Source: The Sangai Express

Kangpokpi, July 19 2017: The earth fissures at Haijang and Twilang road have widened alarmingly within a day or two creating more panic among the people while it has become a big headache for the scantily funded district administration .

Social Welfare Cooperation Minister, Nemcha Kipgen, who is also the local MLA accompanied by Principal Secretary P Vaiphei flew from Imphal to visit the earth fissures affected places today .

The heavy rainfall rendered night rendered the kuccha road of around 2 Kms connecting Haijang and Kangpokpi completely muddy and slippery and the absence of motorable bridge compelled the visiting Ministerial team to go into Gundung river and cross to the other side .

Earth crack at Haijang, Twilang road widen Nemcha Kipgen surveys fissure sites

The Minister took the risk with her V-Cross 4×4 vehicle followed by her security Gypsy and managed to cross the high current Gundung river and reached the earth fissure affected village after meandering along the slippery muddy road .

The DC and SP of Kangpokpi also went along on a hired Shaktiman from Kangpokpi DHQs for a joint inspection of the earth fissure affected Haijang village .

While inspecting the heavily affected residential houses and the village UJB School, the joint inspection team found that the earth crack has widened damaging five (5) houses and one UJB School building belonging to Sadar Hills Autonomous District Council, Kangpokpi .

Haijang village has 70 households with a total population of around 500 .

The joint inspection team found the village UJB School badly damaged by the earth cracks inside the school classrooms and opined that the cracks developed inside some of the houses are of very serious nature while expressing their apprehension that more cracks may develop in other houses and other areas of the village if the rain continues .

The villagers of Haijang also expressed apprehension and suggested that an expert team be deputed to the village for a spot assessment/verification to ascertain the causes of the earth cracks .

The Social Welfare Minister advised the district administration to put up the appalling situation to the State Government today itself with a request to depute an expert team of GSI on the spot .

The Ministerial team also visited the earth crack that developed along Twilang road and found similar widening of the crack .

The Minister said that the Government’s first priority is the safety of the earth crack affected villagers while adding that the department concerned will soon call an expert team to assess the situation .

Meanwhile, Deputy Commissioner Kangpokpi, T Ranjit Singh, as advised, has written to the Principal Secretary, Relief and Disaster Management, Govt.of Manipur considering the impending danger of likelihood occurrence of landslides/mudslides and more earth cracks at Haijang village and neighbouring adjoining areas to depute a team of experts from GSI, NER Dimapur to the site for detailed spot verification to take further necessary action.