Indian Air Force (IAF) helicopter on Saturday airdropped essential commodities for the people in landslide-affected Tening area in Peren district of Nagaland.
Sources said two IAF helicopters, under Eastern Air Command, loaded with food items besides other essential items took off from Dimapur airport in the morning and airdropped goods in Tening area only. They said it was not possible to airdrop commodities in other landslide-hit areas in the State due to inclement weather even as many places remained cut off due to roads being blocked by landslides.
Ready for a challenge? Click here to take our quiz and show off your knowledge!
Two IAF helicopters took off from Dimapur airport on Friday with essential commodities but could not reach the locations because of bad weather. The districts where essential commodities were to be airdropped included Tening and 36 Assam Rifles company camp in Peren district, Tobu in Mon district, Kiphire headquarters and Pungro in Kiphire district and Noklak and Noksen in Tuensang district.
The State Home Department has tied up with the Union Ministry of Home Affairs for airlifting essential commodities to the cut-off areas.
The State Government said it was making all-out efforts to reach essential commodities, including petroleum products to Kiphire and Pungro areas, which have been completely cut off due to massive landslides and sinking of portions of roads leading to the district from both Meluri and Tuensang sides.
Ready for a challenge? Click here to take our quiz and show off your knowledge!
According to the district administration, Kiphire has food stocks to last for a couple of days and rationing has been imposed for food and petroleum products.
The officers from the district administration of both Kiphire and Meluri are camped at the spot where a large section of the road has sunk 8 km from Meluri side.
Temporary transit camps have been constructed with the help of volunteers on either side for facilitating manual carriage of essential commodities across the affected area from where the trucks could be utilised to transport the goods to Kiphire.
A few goods-laden trucks are already reported to be stationed at Meluri while oil tankers are already on their way negotiating via Mao Gate towards Meluri.
Incessant rains that triggered multiple landslides and mudslides in several places in Kohima district have damaged a total of 118 houses and 167 families have been affected since July 8 till Friday.
As per District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA), Kohima records, a number of roads have also been damaged.
Union Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju is scheduled to conduct aerial survey of landslide and flood-affected areas on Sunday. As per his schedule, Rijiju will make aerial survey of flood-affected areas in Dimapur, landslide-affected sites in Kohima, Meluri, Kiphire and Pungro and Doyang dam besides landslides on National Highway 29 between Dimaur and Kohima.