IMPHAL/UKHRUL, Apr 5: In the wake of the incessant rainfall during the past one week across the State, a sizeable portion of Sirarakhong village sank today damaging around eight houses in the process.
Sirarakhong village falls under Litan police station of Ukhrul district.
Moreover, around 15 feet of Mahadev-Tolloi Road has sunk and the road has been cut off.
Sirarakhong village chairman L Ngathingyao told The Sangai Express over telephone that the eight sunk houses were built on the side of the playground constructed anew.
Even though there was no human casualty, the affected families whose houses have been damaged are taking shelter in the houses of nearby relatives.
Informing that Mahadev-Tolloi Road has been cut off, the village chairman appealed to the departments/authorities concerned to extend all possible immediate relief measures and also to restore the disconnected road.
Following the sudden sinking of land, the villagers are caught in a panicky situation, Ngathingyao informed while appealing to the authority concerned to send an expert team and take up necessary measures for rehabilitation of the affected families at a safer place.
Notably, Manipur witnessed incessant rainfall during the past one week interspersed by thunderstorms which wreaked havoc in different parts of the State.
The case is similar to the one experienced at Kasom Khullen in 2015. The tensional cracks developed due to erosion of hill slope and excessive rainfall which may also cause landslide, remarked Prof Arunkumar of MU Earth Sciences Department.
Incidentally, Sirarakhong located 1662 m above sea level is about 85 Kms from Imphal and 136 Kms from Ukhrul district headquarters.
Relief material given for hailstorm victims : Forty-one families from four villages under Singngat sub-division of Churachandpur district who have suffered varying degree of devastation by a hailstorm that hit the region last weekend were given relief material by the local MLA GS Haopu today, reports our CCpur correspondent.
Tin roofing sheets, consisting of 6 and 4 apiece each were given to the families depending upon the damage their houses had suffered. The distribution was conducted today by Singngat SDO Jainson Hangshing, his officials and several workers of the area MLA GS Haopu.
The local MLA who had ensured his second stint last month through the Congress ticket claimed that he was distributing the relief materials with funds from his local area development programme.
Addressing the press in the evening at his residence here, GS Haopu said he represents all residents of Singngat AC irrespective of their political affiliations and accordingly awarded the relief material to all those who are devastated by the recent hailstorm.
He also assured repairing of the Chura-Sugnu road on an urgent basis and claimed that all funding allocations have been finalised. For the repairing of Lamka-Singngat stretch of the National Highway, tender has already been invited and it will be taken up very soon, he said.
The families that received relief materials today included 20 from Muallum village, 11 from Haijang, 8 from NT Geltam and 2 from Maullen.
Source: The Sangai Express
