Imphal, July 7: The impending drought and the government’s “failure” to tackle the situation rocked Manipur Assembly today.
Cutting across party lines, members cautioned the Okram Ibobi Singh government that the state would face famine next year unless the government took effective steps in the next two weeks. In fact, the issue was raised by ruling member N. Mangi Singh of the CPI, a partner in the Secular Progressive Front ministry.
Fear of crop failure and imminent famine next year is rising in the state especially as the Centre is yet to accept the state government’s declaration of drought in Manipur.
The relief and disaster management department had declared Manipur a drought-hit state on June 25 and sent an SOS to the Centre for immediate aid. But the Centre is yet to respond to the appeal, agriculture minister N. Loken Singh told the Assembly today.
The minister also said his department had purchased 300 pump sets to lift water from rivers and lakes and had made the river lift irrigation scheme fully functional to meet the farmers’ demand.
The Ibobi Singh cabinet had cleared a Rs 5.91-crore action plan on June 20 for irrigating 3.5 lakh hectares of paddy field in both the hills and the valley. This included buying of pump sets, growing of paddy nursery, construction of temporary dams and supply of water through river lift irrigation system.
“Each of the 60 Assembly constituencies will have five to six pump sets in the next few days. The government hopes to face the drought effectively if all the MLAs, farmers and NGOs co-operate with the government,” Loken Singh said.
The members said the measures taken by the government were not enough and the chief minister should co-ordinate all the departments and take measures on a war-footing.
“If the farmers do not start planting by July 20, Manipur will face famine next year. The chief minister should lead the fight,” Mangi Singh said.
Opposition leader Okram Joy Singh said the pump sets distributed by the government to the farmers were not enough. The officials are sitting in their chambers when they should all be out in the fields, he said.
“They are not taking serious note of the impending disaster,” he added.
Khasim Ruivah, an Independent MLA from Ukhrul district, alleged that the government was focusing only on the valley and neglecting the farmers in the hills.
“The hills, too, are dry and the farmers have not been able to start paddy cultivation. The government should do something immediately for the hills as well,” he said.