Experts from ITI Roorkee to study buildings damaged in Manipur

A CORRESPONDENT

IMPHAL, Jan 6: Three experts from the IIT, Roorkee, arrived in Imphal this morning to examine the damaged portions of the two marketing complexes in Imphal. The team from the Industrial Training Institute at Roorkee will examine market complexes at New Market and Laxmi Market here that suffered damages in the 6.7-magnitude quake that claimed 8 lives and injured more than 100 people. The experts include- Dr Jogendra Singh, Manish Shrikhande and BK Maheswari. The expert team will try to find out the reasons for the collapse of the complexes which was constructed only five years ago. The Manipur government and the construction company, tiol Buildings Construction Corporation have no explation to the women vendors who want to know why the collapse had taken place while those which were constructed 50 years ago remain intact. In the continuing blame game the State government maintains that it has no role to play since the Central government had entrusted the construction works to the NBCC with direct release of fund. The state government claims that the relief materials are made available to the victims. However villagers in the Tamenglong district where the epicentre of the earthquake was located said that so far no government official has come with relief materials. The police outpost at Nungba was buried by the rubble. Police personnel were reported as saying that they were waiting for the arrival of the NDRF personnel there. Today 35 personnel of NDRF and SDRF rushed to Tamenglong for providing relief and carry out other relief works. Meanwhile the state unit BJP president T Chaoba says that he will lead a team of party functiories to submit memoranda to the Central government to demand demolition of the damaged complexes. “The damaged buildings pose a threat to the women and customers,” he said. He also demanded blacklisting of the firm.