Manipur News

From Our Correspondent

MOREH | Aug 26

Miscreant exploded a bomb this evening near LIC office situated at Moreh ward no.3.

The bomb explosion took place at around 7.30 pm. Although there is no report of any casualty the blast impact damaged the wall of a photo studio and also shattered window panes of the LIC office.

A team of police commando led by Moreh SDPO rushed to the spot and inspected the blast site. The motive behind the blast is yet to be ascertained till the time of filing this report.

By A Staff Reporter

IMPHAL | Aug 26

Additional Director General of Police (HG), Chr. Doungel clarified that the Supreme Court did not give direction to increase Home Guard salary. The court has given only guidelines, he added.

Briefing media persons today at Manipur Police head quarter, Babupara, Imphal, Doungel said that the matter of increasing the home guard allowance has been taken up in the state Home department but the Centre has not sanction any extra budget for the home guard.

He said that the contention of the home guards personnel that 90 percent of their salary will be given by central government is wrong. The Centre has sanctioned only Rs. 4500 as monthly allowance for each personnel, he said, adding the state alone has to bear the financial responsibility if in case the allowance is to be increased.

Speaking on the matter of home guard personnel who never attended their duties, he said that an enquiry will be conducted very soon and action will be taken up. The monthly allowance of the home guard personnel is delivered through their bank account from the year 2012, so there will be no cases of corruption in giving their monthly allowance, said the additional DGP.

He further said that such guidelines given by the Supreme Court is still not implemented in any states of the country.

Regarding the matter of keeping separate battalion for women home guard Doungel said he will discuss the matter with other officials in order to implement it.

IMPHAL | Aug 26

After the weather forecast report of the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) of occurrence of heavy to very heavy rainfall measuring 115.6 to 204.4 mm in most places of the state during the next 72 hours, under-secretary (Relief and DM), government of Manipur, Bidyarani Ayekpam has directed all the deputy commissioners to make the 24×7 district control room operational to attend distress call from public.

A release issued by under-secretary (Relief and DM) said that all the deputy commissioners are advised to take necessary steps to mitigate the impending flood situation in the state and added that state level control room functioning at Disaster Management Institute (DMI) may be reached at helpline number 0385-2443441.

It further said that joint secretary (Relief and DM), government of Manipur and other directorate level officers are deputed to receive calls from the public at the state level and to coordinate with DCs and directorate level officers.

The helpline numbers of the nodal officers at State Disaster Control room are 9436035836 and 9856292805, it added.

From Our Correspondent

CHURACHANDPUR | Aug 26

A 78 year old, sick man hailing from Singat village was reportedly deprived of medical test at a facility in Churachandpur district hospital, forcing him to leave and do the test by himself at a private clinic paying the price triple times higher to that of the government hospital.

Suangin (78) from Singat, which is about 32 km from Lamka, had come for a check-up and was told by doctors to take the Rante Blood Sugar (RBS) and Kidney Function Test (KFT) at the district hospital last Saturday.

When he went for the test, the staff of bio chemistry department asked him to come on Monday, so he stayed at his daughter’s place. But to his surprise, he was again told on Monday to come the next day.

Since he was very sick and fragile, he approached the district superintendent. 

The district superintendent told the department technicians to take the test as the patient was weak and making him wait for more days will not be in the best interest of his health.

But on the contrary, the technician at the bio chemistry department became more aggressive towards him and allegedly told that that since they approach the MS, they will never do the test for him.

 The son in law of the patient, his friends along with local press men further took up the case to the MS, who became visibly upset that his request was negated by his own staff and promised that he will look into the matter. 

 On the next day, local press men went to inquire at the department as a man from New Lamka had also made complaints to the hospital authority that his blood test was wasted by the biochemistry department.

 While one of the lady staff was talking to them, another questionably took photos of the pressmen inside the biochemist room using her mobile phones which did not go well with the scribes who asked her to delete the photo. The pressmen also came to know that many ASHA workers also had problems with the department. 

It was also found that the department in charge, Dr. Prem rarely attends his duty and would be on leave for most of the days.

Many patients also narrated similar incidents of waiting for blood tests only to hear the technicians of biochemistry department telling them that they have not done the test and cannot avail the testing facility for them.