Govt insensitivity means severe hardships for Mautum affected in Churachandpur

By M Kaimuanthang

Churachandpur, Feb 25 : The Mautam affected people of Churachandpur district are reportedly compelled to pay the transportation charges from the district headquarters to their respective villages which is 10 times more than the government approved rates.

Stating this today in a press release, the ZEPADA (Zomi Economic Planning and Development Agency ) has said that this is a cruel act of insensivity on the part of the goverment to tax the hungry public just because there is no provision for meeting the transportation cost.

Maintaining that the ZEPADA had always made an appeal to the government to make arrangement for transporting rice, it said this too had not yielded positive response from the government.The district officials appeared to be completely helpless on the issue, it said adding which is why the hungry villagers have to bear the brunt of such apathy.

The release went on to say that the FCI is supposed to pay or re-imburse the transportation charges upto the existing principal distributuion centres i.e. Parbung and Churachandpur headquarters.

Questioning why even after receiving such magnanimous assistance from the Union government the state government failed to extend a little samaritan gesture, it said in spite of this during the first phase of relief rice distribution in Singngat subdivision there were reports of rice embezzlement on the pretext that provision for transportation charges are not given by the government.

The district administartion inititaed prompt action due to which the culprits, both officials as well as the village chiefs, were forced to recover all the missing rice.

While expressing hope that such practises do not recur in the future, it pointed out there are instances of NREGS money being diverted by the chiefs to meet the transportation charges in Thanlon and Henglep sub-division.

In additon to the transportation charges the chiefs are asked to pay expenditures of the supervisory officials deputed to oversee the conduct of rice distribution, it said.

It said what remains uncertain is when and from which account will the government repay Rs. 3 per kg plus officials expenditures paid by the chief, while stating also that the amount is ranging from Rs. 20,000 to 92,000 for villages of Thanlon and Henglep sub-division.

It further said this is an enormous amount for famine affected people, adding they have scepticism as the government having given definite assurance is yet to recover the meagre amount of Rs. 17, 964 that ZEPADA incurred on food, lodging and transportation charges of the visiting Central ministerial team who conducted survey of crop damages during April 2 and 3 in Churachandpur district.