IMPHAL March 1: President of National Highway 37/42 Truck Owner Association, Kh Inaoba, provided relief materials to the victims of the February 4 Litan blaze on Saturday in a simple function held at the Litan veterinary quarters where the victims are taking shelter.
The simple function was also attended by chairman of relief committee Hamkhothang Baite, programme coordinator of song and drama division N Jawaharlal, chairman of women catholic church in Litan, Helena Muivah and the victims of the Litan inferno.
Kh Inaoba said that the February 4 fire incident was unfortunate and people from both the hills and valley needed to support each other when such unwanted incidents happened in any part of the state, appealing all the people of the state to help the victims to get back to normal life by helping in whatever possible ways they can as we are all brother and sisters. He also announced to provide 50 bags of cement to the victims family through the relief committee.
“After the incident on February 4, the state government has provided Rs 4500 to each household of victims and also provided eatable items along with utensils,” Hamkhothang Baite said, adding that they are ‘grateful to the concerned veterinary department for providing their office quarters as shelter for the victims and also to the various civil society groups and non government organisations of the state for their help.
Appealing the state government to establish a fire sub-station nearby to prevent and control such incidents in the future, he said that there are more than ten villages located in the area.
A victim of the devastating blaze said that they are sad that till today the government has just provided an emergency relief fund of Rs. 4,500 each through Ukhrul DC and after that the state government has failed to look after the victims, helping them to build their lost shops and hotels in the fire as shops and hotels are the only source of income for the victims’ families.
“Till today even after the family members of those houses gutted in the blaze submitted the estimates of the reconstruction, the government has failed to provide the compensation till today,” he said.
Terming it as heartbreaking to the victims’ families that many civil society groups and non government organisations had visited them providing relief materials but the concerned Home minister hasn’t turned up to inspect the victims, he said that the government has failed to provide Rs 75000 to those affected by the blaze under the Indira Awas Yojana.