Aizawl: Following the delay in relief from the Centre, the Mizoram government has begun raising funds to provide relief to over 12,200 people from strife-torn Manipur, a senior official of state home department said on Thursday.
The official said that the state government issued a notice seeking donations from ministers, legislators, employees of Central and state governments, corporators of Aizawl Municipal Council and bankers on Tuesday.
Security forces like the Assam Rifles, Indian Army and Border Security Force (BSF) will also be requested to donate for relief, he said.
The official said that like-minded donors are requested to contribute to the state disaster management and rehabilitation directorate’s bank account number for any amount as per their convenience.
He said that the Centre has not yet provided any assistance even more than a month after it had sought a relief package for the internally displaced people, who have been taking shelter in the state after ethnic violence broke out in Manipur on May 3.
In May, Mizoram chief minister Zoramthanga had asked the Centre to provide Rs. 10 crore as a relief package for the displaced people.
The official said that the government has not received “any word” from the Centre since the state delegation led by sports minister Robert Romawia Royte met Union Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla on the issue last month.
He also said that the Mizoram government has not received any word from its Manipur counterpart regarding its residents taking shelter in Manipur.
He alleged that Manipur chief minister N. Biren Singh had expressed concern only for the safety of the Meitei community in Mizoram and not for the displaced people during his telephonic conversation with Zoramthanga recently.
According to the state home department, at least 12,280 people from Manipur took shelter in Mizoram.
The northeastern state also hosts more than 35,000 refugees from coup-hit Myanmar and Bangladesh.