Serious safety concern has been raised as heavy storm damaged some portions of the newly established government medical institution in Churachandpur district, Manipur for the second time in a span of few days.
Barely three months after the inauguration of the Churachandpur Medical College, a heavy storm that hit several parts of the state on the night of April 20 caused damage to a portion of the newly constructed building.
A similar storm that lashed the district on April 18 midnight around 12.30 am had also blown off some portions of the top floor walls of the Churachandpur Medical College that is located at Hiangtam Lamka, IB Road, Churachandpur HQ, about 60 km away from Imphal airport.
Although there were no reports of any casualties, one was reportedly injured by the impact of the storm on the night of April 18. And, the damage caused to the newly built medical institution building by the recent storm sparked off serious concern among the locals about the safety aspects of the new state medical college building.
The durability of the parts of the college that are still standing remain a matter of concern for the people in the district, as it concerns the safety of the patients, medical staff and all people present in the new building.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah had inaugurated the medical college on January 6, 2023, in the presence of Chief Minister N Biren and other state ministers and officials during his visit to the state.
It may be mentioned that the Churachandpur Medical College is the third government medical institution in the state and the first in hill areas of the state, with 100 MBBS student intake capacity annually. Affiliated to the University of Manipur, with Dr Soubam Iboyaima Singh as the first director of the college for a term of one year, the college was built at a cost of Rs 46 crore by Keystone Infra Pvt Ltd, according to official sources.
It may also be recalled that following his appointment as director of the Churachandpur Medical College, Dr Soubam Iboyaima Singh had inspected the building while it was under construction.
When the Imphal Free Press team visited the place, besides the damage to the Churachandpur medical college, several electric poles were found fallen. Many of them were rusted and corroded, posing danger to the people living in the area.
The tropical storm also uprooted several trees, damaged many houses, animal shelters, and other structures in the area.
Concerning the houses whose roofs were blown off during the storm, sub divisional officer of Churachandpur district, Dharun Kumar, had issued an advisory and relief materials were being distributed, according to official sources.
A member of the state legislative assembly from Churachandpur, LM Khaute had also written a DO letter to the deputy commissioner of Churachandpur, drawing his intervention to assess the extent of damage caused by the storm and to take up with the state government for payment of adequate compensation to the people affected by the storm at the earliest to mitigate their sufferings, official sources said.
As several electric poles remained damaged due to the heavy storm that hit the district, many areas of the district are currently facing a blackout. As the people in the district struggle amid the long power cut, officials said the Manipur State Power Distribution Corporation Limited (MSPDCL) is working full time for restoration of power supply.
