Over 15,000 houses, other properties damaged in Manipur in heavy rains, hailstorm: CM

Imphal, May 6 (IANS) A total of 15,425 houses, other properties, and many vehicles have been severely damaged due to the heavy rains, accompanied by gusty winds and hailstorms, in Manipur on Sunday, Chief Minister N. Biren Singh said on Monday.  

The heavy rains and hailstorms also left a large number of trees and electric poles uprooted.

The Chief Minister said that the maximum number of houses, 6,053, were damaged in Imphal West district followed by 5,600 houses in Imphal East district, 1,179 in Bishnupur, 800 in Thoubal, 540 in Churachandpur, 292 in Kangpokpi, 200 in Ukhrul and remaining in other districts.

"The state sustained massive damages to various properties in Sunday’s rain and hailstorm. Further assessments of damages are going on in different districts. Among the districts, the Imphal West district is worst affected by the calamity," he told the media.

Biren Singh said that 42 relief camps were opened to provide temporary shelter to the disaster-affected people and the respective Deputy Commissioners are providing relief materials to them. The state government has sanctioned Rs 6.19 crore to meet the relief expenses.

The Chief Minister said that instructions were given to take suitable measures to prevent a hike in the prices of roofing and construction materials. The government would compensate the losses of livestock, crops and vegetables incurred by farmers, he said.

Officials said that besides a large number of houses, many government and non-government accommodations and schools were damaged in different parts of the state on Sunday with the heavy hailstones leaving holes in tin roofs while the strong winds blew away hutments in different districts, leaving many people affected.

The hailstorm was so powerful that parts of the valley areas of Imphal East and Imphal West Districts were blanketed with 4-5 inches of ice, resembling a landscape covered in thick snow. Vehicles parked in the open either developed cracks or were badly damaged.

The Meteorological Department issued an orange alert and predicted heavy-to-very-heavy rains in several northeastern states, including Manipur, till Tuesday.