IMPHAL, May 24: The recent torrential rain in the State has left many places inundated including many areas of Hiyanglam Constituency where several hectares of paddy fields which were ready for harvesting have been submerged under water and several fish farms are overflowing.
BJP candidate in 2014’s Hiyanglam bye-election Maibam Dhanabir today accompanied by media persons visited and inspected the flooded areas of Hiyanglam including at Arong Nongmaikhong, Hiyanglam Mamang Loukon, Sekmaijing area and Muslim areas.
Interacting with the team, Hiyanglam gram panchayat Ward No 10 member Elangbam Shyamchand said whenever it rains in the State, Hiyanglam is flooded.
For the past many years, farmers and locals of the area have been facing floods because of overflowing Sekmai Barrage, he lamented.
The area was also flooded last year, he asserted.
Unfortunately, last year’s affected farmers are yet to receive government compensation for the flood, although the concerned authorities had collected the required details from the effected families including photos of the submerged fields and overflowing fish farms, he observed.
This year again more than 50 percent of the paddy field and fish farms of the area have been submerged by flood, he continued.
He said the flooding problem in Hiyanglam area can be controlled only after the canals in the adjoining areas of Lamjao and Hiyanglam are properly drained.
If the government had developed the canal properly, the water could have been directed to the Loktak Lake, he added.
Dhanabir said he had visited several places and found that the most hit hard area to be Sekmaijing Khunou, Kunuma.
The flood has submerged the IVR cutting off connection, he said and also added that electricity has been cut off and there is lack of drinking water in the area.
He urged the government to provide the required assistance to the people at the earliest.
He claimed although it is learnt that the Centre had sanctioned huge funds for last year’s flood in the State, those affected in Hiyanglam are yet to receive a single compensation.
This year also the area has not received any help from the IFCD, he said alleging that officials of the department had replied there was no relief material available at the moment when approached to provide some aid.
Meanwhile, farmers from Sekmaijing Village lamented the Ithai Barrage as the main cause for the flood which has submerged paddy fields and overflowed fish farms in their area.
Hard times are ahead for Hiyanglam, they echoed.
They lamented sometimes we feel there is no government in the State.
We don’t want electrification of our villages, when we don’t have anything to eat, they complained.
Sometimes, we want to sell our lands and leave the place, but there is no one willing to pay reasonable money for our lands due to Ithai Barrage, one of them lamented.