UCM office bearer looted

IMPHAL, Jun 2: The district affairs secretary of Central Committee, UCM was allegedly looted at gun point by some individuals who identified themselves as members of KCP (MC) as well as Police Commandos.The incident reportedly occurred at a spot in between Waithou and Tangjeng along National Highway-39 in Thoubal district at around 4 pm yesterday while the district affairs secretary of Central Committee, identified as Md Iqbal Shah Khulakpam, was on his way to the office of the Deputy Commissioner to seek permission for using loudspeaker for publicity in connection with upcoming 8th June 18 Uprising Day observance.Addressing a press conference at the office of UCM at Lamphel-pat here this afternoon, its information and public relations secretary Kh Nilamani Kha-Nganba, informed that the two armed persons who came in a numberless black colour Bajaj Pulser and were inconsistent in identified themselves as either members of KCP (MC) or Police Commandos waylaid Md Iqbal who was also driving another Bajaj Pulser and looted him of Rs 1600, his driving license and other vehicle documents.Condemning the incident, Nilamani also called upon the SP of Thoubal District as well as the leaders of the proscribed KCP (MC) to take up necessary action and dispel the confusion from the mind of the people.Md Iqbal, who was also present during the press conference, recounted that after being waylaid, the two armed looters who identified themselves as members of KCP (MC) at one time and later as Police Commandos, at first demanded to hand over the Bajaj Pulser he was driving. As he did not agree, one of them took out a 9 mm pistol and pointed at him while the other started searching his body. In the process, they laid their hands on Rs 1600 he was carrying besides taking away the driving license and other vehicle documents.The armed looters have also asked him to come to Sugnu on June 3, Md Iqbal informed.

No Wilf Life Protection in Manipur

Is there anybody to protect the wild life. A flying squirel being sold in the Tamenglong Market.

Recruitment of Loktak Protection Force begins

IMPHAL, Jan 13 : Besides discussing the proposal of providing hovercrafts to Manipur police during a meeting at New Delhi with Union Home Secretary Ma-dhukar Gupta in the chair, recruitment of Loktak Lake Protection Force has been initiated.A reliable source informed The Sangai Express that three hovercrafts may be provided to Manipur Police for deployment in Loktak lake to flush out insurgents from the lake.The meeting held at New Delhi on January 9 was attended by Principal Secre-tary (Home) DS Poonia, DGP Y Joykumar, officials of BSF Water Wing, Coast Guard and Special Secretary Home, MHA.After the Union Home Ministry agreed on Manipur Police using hovercrafts, an official team of BSF and Coast Guard came to Imphal in October last year and assessed the practicality of deploying hovercrafts in Loktak lake.Later, the team recommended the Centre to procure hovercrafts with sitting capacity of 20.However, in the meeting held at New Delhi recently, the Union Secretary expressed intention of procuring hovercrafts with sitting capacity of 5 to 10 security personnel. He also suggested that the hover-crafts be placed at a common place for Manipur Police and BSF/Coast Guard.The meeting also agreed to invite willing suppliers for the hovercrafts.Under its police modernisation programme, the State Government has submitted a proposal of Rs 5 crores towards procuring three hovercrafts, conveyed the source.The Union Ministry has also agreed to purchase the hovercrafts after perusing applications from suppliers soon.On the other hand, recruitment process for 375 personnel of the Loktak Lake Protection Force who would use the hovercrafts have already commenced. More-over, five locations for setting up outposts of the Loktak Lake Protection Force have been identified. Personnel of the Loktak Lake Protection Force will be given training in Mani-pur first before sending them for further training outside the State. Moreover, special training will be given to those personnel who would handle hovercrafts along with necessary training for maintenance of hovercrafts, added the source.

Bird flu like illness haunts CCpur village

It is E Coli; Not the flu !

Jan 7: Barely forty-eight hours after an epidemic like mysterious infection identified as ‘highly infectious with cerebral infection’ hit a tiny hamlet in the district, the conference hall of the Chief Medical Officer which was temporarily transformed to isolate the infected is now packed with patients as the number keeps mounting.Thirty eight people, including children, all hailing from Misao Lhahvom village were admitted at the District Hospital here since Saturday night for the yet to be diagnosed infection.Initially the disease which took an epidemic form was initially suspected to be that of Malaria but Optimal Test – a test for Malaria, conducted on the sixteen patients initially who rushed to the Hospital on Monday night hs turned out to be negative. Following the discovery of fowls dying in tens and on sighting ailing ones in the village the much hyped ‘Bird Flu’ was suspected but Medical officials and Veterinary Doctors have failed to find any link with the flu.Dr Singkhozam Hauzel, Chief Medical Officer said that of the three symptoms identified with Bird Flu, Fever and Cough were detected on the villagers but the most significant of all – breathing disorder is missing. His contention was backed by Dr Saidokum Pudaite, Jt Director of the district Veterinary Department who said, ‘We did not find any Bird Flu symptoms on the dead fowls,’ moments after collecting carcasses and blood samples from the village yesterday.Dr Bhubon Singh, State Epidemiologist who was in town today to take stock of the situation told The Sangai Express that he was certain the ‘viral’ infection was not Bird Flu but something else.Dr Ginzaniang, a Physician who was first summon- ed to attend the mysterious illness said the patients suffered acute fever, cough and nausea when they were brought to the District Hospital. She also claimed that most of the patients till date are recuperating with the administration of antibiotics and ruled out any casualty.With eighteen more villagers infected by the mysterious illness till Tuesday, the district administra- tion on the advice of the medical officials and civil societies such as ZYA, KKL, CDSU and ZHRF, ordered an isolation. At the end of the day the ailing villagers on isolation reached a whooping thirty four. Five more villagers were brought to the hospital today added to the num- ber of patients attended in isolation bringing number of patients of the yet to be diagnosed disease to thirty nine.Seipao Misao, a village elder said his villagers suffered mass illness not long after the Church youth hosted a public feast on Monday after a day long sporting events.One thing that made the medical fraternity here anxious was the strange symp- toms that were experienced by the patients and the alleged infectious nature. ‘Our first impression was that it was highly infectious in nature and that it affects the brain, which is probably the first of its kind in the State,’ Dr VC Pau said, adding, ‘we ourselves are not immune, so it needs to be immediately identified.’Three doctors who have been advised to attend to the patients in isolation said the illness seems to be infectious if not contagious. As was the contention, all medical staff attending the patients ever since their isolation put on gloves and face mask as a preventive measure, however the attendants were not provided any ‘protective gears.’Blood samples from all the patients were collected today for further investigation by the State epidemiologist. One suspected source of such a mass scale illness according to medics could be the drinking water, but here too medics said the symptoms would include diarrhea in the case, and the same was missing in this case.It is worth mentioning that a fowl gifted to a woman by her paternal parents from Sugnu after undergoing operation at Imphal sometime last year died of an unknown disease on Monday night. A handful of reporters tried their bit to locate the fowl that was thrown into the woods early on Tuesday by its owner but it did not yield any fruit. Sixty-five-year-old Ngainem of Misao Lhah-vom told reporters on Tues- day that she lost more than ten fowls since Saturday – six on Saturday, and four on Monday. The ageing wo-man was attending to two of her still ailing fowls when the team reached there yesterday. One dose of Tetracycline administered with a tea spoon failed to do the rescue act and gave the media the chance to film the last moments before it passed away. The other however recuperated with the administration of the medicine.There are reports of some patients being discharged later today, but the one impression that is in mind remains, ‘what would be the fate of the villagers even if they went back – spending time on the same old locality with the same daily chores eating and drinking from the same source. Would they return ill, to the same isolation ward in a few days or not, remains to be seen until that time the State medical officials diagnose the cause of the strange illness.’