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tuesDAY • JAnuArY 05 • 2016
DIMAPUR • Vol. XI • Issue 3 • 12 PAGes • 5
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ESTD. 2005
P o W e R
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T R u T H
If you asked me for my New Year Resolution, it would be to find out who I am — Cyril Cusack
Earthquake strikes North East region •Seven killed in Manipur, 5 in Bangladesh •Scores injured, properties damaged
IMPHAL/SHILLONG, JANUARY 4 (IANS): At least seven people were killed and over 100 injured when an earthquake measuring 6.7 on the Richter scale rocked Manipur and other northeastern states before dawn on Monday. West Bengal too was hit, as was neighbouring Bangladesh where five deaths took place. The toll in Manipur could rise even as rescue operations were on, officials said. The quake snapped power supply across the state, felled multi-storeyed buildings in state capital Imphal and damaged many vehicles. Those killed included four women, Manipur’s Inspector General of Police Clay Khongsai told IANS. “The toll has risen to seven and 69 people have been injured,” principal secretary in-charge of home Suresh Babu told IANS in Imphal. “There has been a lot of damage in Imphal. It is difficult for us to assess the total damage at the moment but the district administrations are on the job,” he said. The quake, with epicentre in Manipur’s Tamenglong district, took place at 4.35 am. It was also felt in Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Mizoram and Tripura besides Myanmar and Bhutan. According to the U.S. Geological Survey the quake had a magnitude of 6.8 and occurred 57 km deep and struck 29 km west of Imphal, capital of Manipur, which borders Myanmar. In Tamenglong, Babu said four people were seriously injured at Noney village. Officials said there were 14 aftershocks on Monday morning. The Indian Air Force flew a National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) team from Guwahati to Imphal, and to Silchar in Barak Valley of Assam with 3.5 tonnes of
Morung Express News Dimapur /Kohima | January 4
Tragedy struck Manipur and neighboring Bangladesh when a strong 6.7 magnitude earth quake jolted North East India and Bangladesh early Monday morning. Nagaland state was more fortunate with no reports of human casualties or major damage to properties. Nagaland State Disaster Management Authority (NSDMA), Home Department confirmed there was no report of human casualty. Some damage to properties was reported in Peren and Dimapur district. In Peren, damage of houses was reported at Nsong and Athibung under Tening block while in Dimapur, the Apostolic Revival Church at Zakisato colony was reported damaged. According to information from NSDMA, the earthquake originated in the western part of Manipur between Imphal and Noney-Longmai Tamenglong district, and occurred as the result of strike slip faulting in the complex plate boundary region between India and the Eurasia plate in Southeast Asia. The earthquake occurred at a depth of close to 50-55 km within the lithosphere plate. The origin time was recorded at 4: 37am and travel time residual at 1.05 second. In the neighboring state of Manipur such as Nagaland, Assam, Mizoram and Tripura the intensity was felt very strong. Home Commissioner Niehu C Thur said the NDSMA is collating more details of loss and damage report due to quake in the State from other district disaster management authorities. NSDMA has submitted a brief status report to National Emergency Response Center, Ministry of Home Affairs, GoI at New Delhi, the press statement further stated, adding it is also coordinating with the Government of Manipur to
extend any possible help and support if necessary. The intensity of the quake was strongly felt across the State panicking people to rush out of their homes. Kohima residents said the tremor lasted for more than 20 seconds. A resident at Naga Hospital colony said he woke up around 4.30 am upon experiencing the first tremor and gathered outside with neighbours. “After the first tremor I went inside my room to take some warm clothes because of the cold, and then we felt the second tremor which lasted longer and was more intense,” the Naga Hospital colony resident narrated. Awala, a teacher at a government high school recovering after a c-section birth woke up to rude shaking of the room. “I thought it would stop, but the shaking kept on going. I panicked and scrambled down to the ground floor with my baby and husband, said Awala, who lives on the second floor of an apartment in Duncan Bosti, Dimapur. Tsiu Seyie from Mengujuma village under Kohima district said it was one of the most severe quakes the village has experienced in decades. Meanwhile, NSDMA has informed public not to panic or spread unnecessary rumour which may create fear psychosis. It also advised the public to be vigilant and call State Emergency Operation Center, NSDMA for any further of information @ toll free number 1070 and landline number @ 0370-2291122. Further, as precautionary measure, it has informed the public, picnickers and trekkers that the temperature in Kohima will remain between 19-6 °C in the coming week and in the hilly valley of Dzukou the temperature may fall below - °C. The public have therefore been requested to take safety measures during the extreme weather conditions.
• NSDMA ask public not to panic or spread rumours • State Emergency Operation Center, NSDMA toll free number 1070 and landline number @ 0370-2291122
People look at damaged residential houses after an earthquake in Imphal, January 4. (REUTERS)
rescue equipment. “We have stationed an NDRF team at Imphal and Tamenglong to deal with the rescue and search operation,” an official said. Manipur Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh, who chaired an emergency cabinet meet, said the government has taken all steps to deal with the disaster. The government would pay an ex-gratia of Rs.5 lakh each to the families of those killed and pay for the medical treatment of the injured, Education Minister M. Okendro said. Telecommunication and electricity services were badly disrupted in the affected areas. Prime Minister Narendra Modi
spoke to Ibobi Singh, and urged Home Minister Rajnath Singh, who is in Assam and who personally felt the quake, to oversee the situation. Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju flew to Imphal from Arunachal Pradesh. “Once a report is received, the central government will come out with assistance. There may be more casualties in the interior areas,” he said. Bangladeshi news portal bdnews24 reported five deaths in Bangladesh and injuries to numerous people. People who fled their homes in panic remained on the streets, fearing aftershocks. Many recited verses from the Quran.
A Guwahati report said at least 20 people suffered minor injuries as some buildings across Assam developed cracks. At least 12 people were injured in northern West Bengal’s Jalpaiguri and Darjeeling districts. India’s northeast is considered the sixth major earthquake-prone belt in the world. In September 2011, Sikkim suffered heavy damage as a quake hit the state. Monday’s temblor occurred as a result of a strikeslip faulting (vertical or nearly vertical fractures where the blocks have mostly moved horizontally) in the boundary region between India and the Eurasian plate in Southeast Asia, according to the USGS.
Govt appeals for public peace and tranquillity
KOHIMA, JANUARY 4 (MExN): The Nagaland State Government has appealed to the Yimchungrü Akherü Arihako (YAA) and Yimchungrü Tribal Council (YTC) not to resort to any course of action which may result in the breach of public peace and tranquillity. The State Government’s appeal, released through the DIPR, was made with reference to the 24 (Twenty four) hours ultimatum given by the YTC and YAA to the Chief Minister of Nagaland in connection with the YAA Golden Jubilee at Shamator Headquarters from January 7 - 10, 2016. The State Government has solicited “kind co-operation” on the matter in the interest of maintaining public peace and tranquillity. Meanwhile, the Government has made known the decisions made by the State Cabinet in the emergency meeting held in Dimapur on December 30, 2015, with regards to the said issue. The State Cabinet decided that
“While celebrations of any jubilee should not be discouraged, in view of the volatile situation that has arisen due to controversy over the proposed celebrations, it would be in the public interest that the YAA Golden Jubilee celebrations be disallowed at Shamator till the matter is amicably resolved.” Further, the Cabinet noted that “they may hold their celebrations at any other location which will not attract controversy.” The Home department was asked to issue necessary instructions accordingly, and the administration instructed to take all possible measures to prevent “untoward incidents.” The emergency meeting was held at 9:00am of December 30, 2015, at the residential office of the Chief Minister in Dimapur. The minutes of the meeting signed by the Chief Minister and Cabinet Secretary was released to the media from the Chief Minister’s Office. The Cabinet further directed in the meeting that in partial modification of
the OM issued by Commissioner, Nagaland vide No. CN/CON (SMTR) 07 dated January 4, 2007, another OM be issued “disallowing any conference in towns and villages where controversies are likely to arise.” In that, the Cabinet decided to set up Committees to recommend measures to bring a “permanent solution” to such problems in various pockets of the State. Furthermore, the Commissioner, Nagaland was directed to collect all Village Guard arms from all Yimchungrü and Tikhir inhabited areas and have them deposited with the Commandant, VG.
YTC, YAA call for total bandh
The YTC and YAA have called for a ‘total indefinite bandh’ in the entire ‘Yimchungrü jurisdiction’ including NH-202 from 6:00am of January 5 owing to the ‘non-fulfilment’ of their 24-hours ultimatum. This was informed in a press release from the YTC and YAA presidents respectively.
Tamenglong area sits on Seismic Zone V Morung Express News Dimapur | January 4
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NagalaNd: Properties damaged; no human casualty
When the earth quaked, little did the people of Tamenglong district know that they were rattling on the epicentre of the 6.7 Richter scale quake that jolted the North East awake on the morning of January 4. According to the Sub-division wise administrative report as of 12:00 noon, Tamenglong district reported no deaths. Four persons were severely injured in Noney (Nungba sub division) and referred to RIMS Imphal for necessary treatment and one more casualty was reported from Tamei sub division. 25 houses were damaged in Khoupum sub division, 5 houses damaged in Tamenglong headquarters, 6 damaged in Nungba sub division and 23 houses damaged in Tousem sub division. Apart from these, a large number of buildings developed cracks and electric poles were damaged. Though the Deputy Chief Minister of Manipur State hails from Tamenglong district, people have had to fight hard for the little roadways and electricity supplied to the district. Instead of improving the quality of the lives of people in Manipur, the Government has bigger plans for the State—mega dams, oil mining, national railways— all affecting Tamenglong in more jolts than one. On August 28, 2014, the Govern-
ment of Manipur signed four new Memorandums of Understanding with the North Eastern Electric Power Corporation for construction of four new mega-dams, namely the 60 MW Irang HEP, 67 MW Khongnem Chakha (Upstream Senapati, Downstream Tamenglong), 190 MW Pabram HEP (Upstream and downstream Tamenglong District) and 51 MW Tuivai HEP (Churachandpur District) projects over rivers of Manipur under the Manipur Hydroelectric Power Policy of 2012. In addition, the controversial and highly opposed 1500 MW Tiapimukh Dam, currently under construction, will submerge large portions of Tamenglong district, while the 66 MW Loktak Downstream Dam (also under construction) is located partly in Tamenglong district. All this, while Tamenglong area (and pretty much all of the North East) features on Seismic Zone V of the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) 2000 seismic zone map of India. Zone V is the highest risk zone for earthquakes in the Indian subcontinent. However, “The plan to build these dams is fraught with absence of consultation and the free, prior and informed consent of communities,” said John Tingenlung Pamei, former president (and present tribunal general) of the All Zeliangrong Students’ Union, who has been at the forefront of claiming peoples’ rights in Mani-
pur. “Development and power generation needs have been defined exclusively to benefit corporate bodies only. The right to self-determined development has been undermined in the mega dams planned across Manipur,” he maintained. Moreover, “militarization in the proposed dam site and catchment areas is another concern among affected communities, as these military personnel are notorious for committing human rights violations.” The governments of Manipur and India also have plans to mine oil on a mega scale from Tamenglong district (which is vehemently opposed by the people) as well as build the Jiribam-Tupul rail line passing through the district. As we are reminded of the precarious geographies inhabited by the indigenous peoples living in Manipur State, scientists also remind us how rushed-up mega development projects without sound studies and geographical sensitivity can be “suicidal.” “It will be suicidal if proper and detailed geological, geotechnical and earthquake analysis is not done before planning such projects in regions like these. Such projects are rendered useless if fault lines pass by these areas, for instance. Any development on seismic zone V needs proper analysis and relevant design,” stated a geotechnical expert speaking to The Morung Express from New Delhi.