Imphal, January 5 (IANS): Normal life continued to be affected in Manipur on Tuesday as the death toll in the 6.7 magnitude earthquake rose to eight in the state.
"Three people each died in Imphal East and Imphal west districts while two deaths were reported in Senapati district. The government will pay Rs.5 lakh each to the next of kin of those killed," Deputy Chief Minister Gaikhangam Gangmei said.
Even as all educational institutes in the northeastern state were closed for a week, offices too declared a holiday for two days. Most shops and business establishments were also closed.
A shortage of essential commodities and other consumables were reported since the main marketing complex in the state capital was shut.
Vehicles and pedestrians were barred from crossing the damaged Minuthong bridge over the Imphal river that connects the eastern and western parts of state capital Imphal.
Rapid response teams of the health department fanned out in the interior rural and mountainous areas of Manipur to provide medical relief to the affected.
Though 35 members of the National Disaster Response Force teams are working in Tamenglong district, no report of recovery of any dead body was received so far. Over 100 houses and shops were damaged in the hill district.
Reports of damage to several school buildings in other districts of Manipur were received though there was no report of any casualty.
Monday's temblor at 4.35 a.m. on Monday had its epicentre in Tamenglong district. It also jolted Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Mizoram and Tripura, besides Myanmar and Bhutan.
Manipur assembly building partially damaged by quake
The newly-constructed building of the Manipur assembly at Chingmeirong here was partially damaged due to Monday's earthquake, an official said here.
An engineer who visited the complex along with Works Minister T. Ratankumar on Tuesday morning said on condition of anonymity that the building might not withstand another earthquake of high magnitude.
Officials said once an expert committee submits a report, a decision will be taken on whether a new assembly secretariat should be constructed or the present one repaired and strengthened.
Earlier, accompanied by engineers and high officials, Ratankumar visited the assembly complex on Tuesday morning to assess the damage to partially damaged buildings.
Manipur BJP demands CBI probe into Ima Markets ‘construction defects’
Our Correspondent
Manipur BJP today alleged that the three buildings of Ima Markets in Khwairamband Keithel here were of poor quality and demanded a formal inquiry into the damage caused to the structures due to the 6.8 magnitude tremor that hit the state early Monday.
State BJP president Thounaojam Chaoba during a press meet here at the party office, said the Ima markets were built by the government without maintaining quality and so some portion of the three markets, especially walls and pillars, were damaged in the quake that struck the State at 4:35 am on January 4.
Ima Keithel is perhaps the oldest and only one of its kind in Asia. It is a market, which came into being sometime in 16th century, wholly operated by women.
Congress Chief, Sonia Gandhi during the previous UPA regime had inaugurated the present Ima markets structure on November 23, 2010. The market buildings were constructed by Simplex Infrastructures Ltd.
Protests were seen in the women market complex yesterday during which a large number of women vendors expressed anger against the Manipur government over the alleged construction defects.
Chaoba demanded that the state government initiate a probe into the construction and that the task should be given to independent agencies like the CBI. He also expressed his desire for demolishing the markets and constructing new ones by maintaining proper quality.
Keithel Phambi Apunba Lup and Manipur Keithel Nupi also demanded that the damage should be probed by CBI or NIA.
Talking to reporters, Keithel Phambi Apunba Lup Mema criticised Chief Minister O Ibobi for allegedly showing no interest on the issue.
Works Minister Dr Kh Ratankumar Singh clarified that state PWD had nothing to do with the construction of the Ima markets saying it was tasked with National Building Construction Company Ltd. Addressing reporters here, he admitted that no quality was maintained in the construction of the markets. He said three experts from IIT Roorkee are coming to Imphal to inspect the present condition of the market complex.
More damages and injuries reported
Meanwhile, the number of injured persons has reached 106 and 175 structures were either flattened or damaged and some 339 buildings developed cracks due to the quake that struck the state on Monday.
A team of National Disaster Relief Force (NDRF) is assisting the humanitarian effort in the earthquake devastated areas. A Central medical team is also assisting treatment of the injured victims. Control rooms are also being kept opened.
