Rio urges PM for assistance for rain-hit Nagaland

Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio has requested the prime minister for granting immediate interim assistance to combat the crisis in the state due to incessant rain for the past few weeks.

Nagaland has been receiving heavy rainfall for the past few weeks, which has resulted in loss of lives, displacement of many people in most of the districts and damage to public infrastructure, Rio said in a letter to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi yesterday.

Road connectivity in many areas has been snapped and power line and communication network damaged, he said in the letter, a copy of which was made available to the media.

Adequate supply of essential commodities, including petroleum products, to all district headquarters is not possible as stocks are getting depleted, the chief minister said.

The aspirational district (backward) of Kiphire has been cut off from all directions. In the foothills and plain areas, floods have created enormous damage to property as the villages have been submerged, he said.

Under the circumstances the state government is unable to address the challenges due to lack of resources, absence of adequate machinery and poor connectivity, he said and sought interim central assistance.