Construction Of Temporary Houses For Those Displaced Begins In Manipur. First Visuals Out

The first visuals of temporary houses being constructed by the state government for those affected by the ethnic strife in Manipur are out.

Amid the ongoing tussle between the Centre and the Opposition on the issue of Manipur, the first visuals of the temporary houses being constructed by the state government for those affected by the ethnic strife have surfaced. The government has launched a rehabilitation project and started the construction of the houses, some of which are nearing completion.

Temporary houses built at Sajiwa are nearing completion and will be ready to shelter the affected people soon. These pre-fabricated houses were constructed in record time to address the crisis of displacement in the aftermath of the clashes

Not only in Sajiwa, similar pre-fabricated houses are also being built in the Yaithibi Loukol region in the Thoubal district and Kwakta in the Bishnupur district. The houses are expected to be ready for the displaced families to move in at the earliest.

Surveys for building such houses have already been conducted at Sawombung in the Imphal East district as well.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday rapped the state police for “tardy” and “lethargic” probe of incidents of ethnic violence, especially those targeting women, and summoned the DGP to answer its queries on August 7. Excoriating the law enforcement machinery over unbridled ethnic violence, it said the state police have completely lost control over the law and order situation, and sought details from the state government in a “tabulated format” segregating cases involving murder, rape, arson and loot, destruction of house and property, places of worship, and outraging of modesty of women. 

More than 160 people lost their lives and several hundreds were injured since the ethnic clashes broke out in Manipur on May 3, after a 'Tribal Solidarity March' was organised in the hill districts to protest against the Meitei community's demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.

Meiteis account for about 53 per cent of Manipur's population and live mostly in the Imphal Valley. Tribals -- Nagas and Kukis -- constitute little over 40 per cent and reside in the hill districts. 

(With inputs from Pallav Bora)