MPCC questions SDMA’s inaction

By Our Staff Reporter
IMPHAL, Apr 27: Pointing out that there have been numerous incidents of violation of the Disaster Management Act 2005 amid the country-wide lockdown, the Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) has questioned the alleged inaction of the State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA).
Speaking to media persons at Congress Bhavan here today, MPCC president Moirangthem Okendro remarked that the Disaster Management Act 2005 has been rendered meaningless as many have been acting in total contravention of the Act.
Even though all sections of the society have been fighting against COVID-19, the SDMA is nowhere to be seen, Okendro alleged.
He went on to ask how the Disaster Management Act 2005 can be effectively implemented in the absence of SDMA.
SDMA, State Executive Committee and Advisory Committee should be set up under the provisions of the Disaster Management Act, he said.
Saying that there should be concrete plans and guidelines for implementing the Disaster Management Act, Okendro asked the Government to inform the masses about its plan to bring back Manipuri people stranded in different parts of India.
He appealed to the Government to procure sufficient numbers of PPE, ventilators and COVID-19 testing kits. He also urged the Government to put in public domain the list of medical equipment/kits brought by air cargo from the Central pool.
Although there have been some reports of arrest and detention of people under the Disaster Management Act, other activities and relief measures which should be taken up under the Act are not invisible so far, said the MPCC president.
It appears that the Government is not sure of what should be done and what should not be during the lockdown, he remarked.
Saying that he has heard about constitution of a consultative committee, Okendro asked on what basis the consultative committee was formed.
No political party was informed when the consultative committee was formed. Induction of hand-picked individuals as members of the consultative committee is highly undesirable, he flayed.
The way the country-wide lockdown was relaxed in the State when there should not be any relaxation, and again tightening the lockdown when it should be eased are not signs of good governance, Okendro continued.
Pointing out that the Union Finance Minister has sanctioned Rs 1.7 lakh crore under PMGKY to meet the COVID-19 exigency, Okendro asserted that 86 per cent of the State’s urban population and 89 per cent of the rural population should get rice under NFSA.
If all these rightful beneficiaries are given rice, none of the remaining population would go hungry, he asserted.
In addition to 5 Kgs of rice given to each individual under NFSA in a month, another 5 Kgs of rice and one Kg of dal should be given to all the people above 5 years under PMGKY.
As such, all the people should get 10 Kgs of rice in a month during the lockdown.
However, there have been many complaints of people not receiving the full quantity of rice while some Ministers/MLAs have been claiming that the rice being distributed to public is not provided by the Government but procured from their MLA Local Area Development Fund. Such claim is totally unwarranted, Okendro said.
In some areas, cooking oil bottles distributed to public are embossed with the words ‘We support plus name of the MLA’, he said.
He then urged the Government to lay down proper guidelines for utilising Rs 25 lakh out of the MLA Local Area Development Fund of each MLA in COVID-19 relief measures.
On behalf of the MPCC, he also hailed the doctors and nurses of RIMS, JNIMS and all other health workers who have been fighting the COVID-19 pandemic as vanguards.