Temporary houses, aid of Rs 1000 each for Chakkouba for survivors lined up

DIPR/OSR
IMPHAL, Oct 23 : At least 7000 temporary houses will be constructed for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) presently staying at various camps opened in schools and colleges, said Chief Minister N Biren Singh, addressing a  press conference held at the Durbar Hall of his Secretariat today.
Briefing media persons on relief and welfare measures for families displaced by the current conflict, the Chief Minister said the Centre has approved construction of the temporary houses, and announced a special Ningol Chakkouba package for the IDPs in camps.
Each individual staying in IDP camps will be given Rs 1,000 before Ningol Chakkouba, he said, adding that the State Government employees and pensioners will get their salaries before October 31.
The prolonged conflict, since May 3, 2023, has displaced more than 60,000 people. While many have returned to their villages located in safer locations, tens of thousands are still staying in various camps set up across districts.
The temporary houses now approved by the Centre will accommodate the displaced families staying in the camps, N Biren said.
According to the numbers given by the Chief Minister, Kakching district will have 1,217 temporary houses, Bishnupur will have 1,015, Imphal East- 594 and Imphal West- 225.
Kangpokpi district will have 1,813 temporary houses, Churachandpur-1,331, Tengnoupal-880, Chandel-511 and Kamjong-74.
It may be noted here that while the Chief Minister stated that the Centre has approved construction of 7,000 temporary houses, the numbers he provided totalled to 7,660.
"The funding received from the PMAY (Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana) scheme was not sufficient, so I requested an additional amount of Rs 4 lakh each for construction of around 2,500 houses in areas around Phubala (Moirang), Bishnupur Sericulture farm, Churachandpur, Kangpok-pi," N Biren said.
He thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Union Home Minister, Amit Shah for sanctioning the funds.
The Chief Minister also expressed his gratitude to Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari for timely intervening and resolving issues concerning Highway projects.
The Centre has given assurance to settle issues surrounding compensation for land pertaining to the National Highway-37 development project. Therefore, contractors can resume the work in consultation with the officials concerned of the National Highways & Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL), N Biren said.
He further informed that an additional fund of Rs 1000 crore for developmental works in both the hills and the valley will be sanctioned soon and added that construction of concrete roads would begin in valley areas soon.
The concrete roads will also be constructed within a radius of 8-10 Km of the District Headquarters of hill districts with an estimated cost of around Rs 175 crore, he added.
The Chief Minister stated that out of 117 lists (hill and valley) proposed by the State Government, the Centre has approved only 57 lists recently, under the Central Road and Infrastructure Fund (CRIF) and has sanctioned an amount of Rs 217 crore.
Expressing hope that the remaining lists (projects) would be approved soon N Biren informed that the Centre has assured that around Rs 170 crore will also be sanctioned for the damages caused by Cyclone Remal.
Further, the Chief Minister praised Union Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Minority Affairs Kiren Rijiju for his commitment to construct a world class football field with a project cost of around Rs 220 crore in the State.
A suitable area for the construction of the football field will be identified, he added.
The Chief Minister also announced that a sum of Rs 1000 each for the fifth phase will be distributed to all individuals (IDPs) residing in the relief camps before Diwali and Ningol Chakkouba.
The salaries for all State Government employees and the pensioners for the current month will be credited to their accounts before October 31, he said.
Applauding the "relentless efforts" under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, N Biren Singh said both the Centre and the State Governments are working collectively towards bringing peace and normalcy in the State.
He sought support and cooperation from the people in the Governments' effort to restore normalcy.
The Chief Minister was accompanied by Cabinet Ministers, MLAs, and Special Chief Secretary MH Khan in the press conference.