Assembly discusses flood-affected areas, flight connectivity
Our Correspondent
Imphal, Feb. 7 (EMN): About 79,159 hectares of agriculture areas were affected by floods in Manipur during the year 2017, Manipur’s Agriculture Minister V Hangkhalian has said. He was replying to a query raised by opposition Congress legislator Surjakumar Okram during the ongoing budget session of the Manipur assembly on Feb. 7 Wed.
Although Imphal east district is the region with the largest affected area in terms of damage— covering 23,118 hectares of land—Senapati has ‘no crop damage report,’ according to the statement of the agriculture minister. On the other hand, Tamenglong covering 10 hectares of land, is the least affected area in the state.
Also, the minister informed that the crop damage reports have been submitted to the Relief and Disaster Management department requesting them to provide admissible relief to the farmers of the state.
In another development, Chief Minister N Biren replied to a query raised by opposition Congress legislator Dr Chaltonlien Amo. He replied that the state’s government had been working with the authorities for resumption of the Imphal-Silchar flight within the shortest possible time.
Biren said that the government is ‘pursing to restore’ the Imphal-Silchar flight considering its importance to the state’s population. Alliance Air has suspended their Imphal-Silchar ART flight service since 2012.
Mentioning the importance of improving connectivity in the region, Biren informed the house of 60 members that with the initiative of the new government, a direct Imphal-Delhi flight service has been introduced from the beginning of 2018 every Tue. and Sun.
The authorities of the Air Asia has been approached to increase the frequency of the Imphal-Delhi flight service, he added. Besides, the matter has been intimated to the Delhi airport authority for necessary arrangement considering the issues of parking congestion etc at the New Delhi airport.
Also in response to a query on the integrated tourist destination in the state particularly at Sipuikon village in Manipur’s Tipaimukh sub-division in Pherzawl district, Biren also admitted that the state government will take up the project sooner or later. So far 65 percent of the construction of the tourist lodge has been completed while the 70 percent of the kitchen cum store room is ready, he added.
However the government is considering of replacing an alternative agency for the other construction works of the project as a departmental inquiry is on against the previous agency-Manipur Development Society.
