Imphal, Jun 11: Ushai Songthu of Uyumpok Purum Khullen is today a broken man.

An unemployed youth, Songthu had something going for him when he received a sum of Rs 2.3 lakhs under the Special Employment Generation Programme and bought 30 piglets and reared them.

However fate and Govt apathy has dealt a cruel blow as his carefully reared pigs started dying one after the other from June 8.Narrating his tale of ordeals, Songthu said that on June 8 five pigs died and following this he conveyed a message to the Manipur State Co-operative Bank, form where he had received the loan.

On the same day he went to the office of the Veterinary and Animal Husbandry Department and briefed the Vets and the Director himself about the death of his pigs.

Again on June 9, Songthu said that he submitted a written application to the VAH Director as more pigs started dying.

The Director then instructed the Vets to conduct a spot inquiry as well as to conduct a post mortem on the remains of the dead pigs, informed Songthu.

However the Vets informed Songthu that there was no petrol in the vehicle to go to the place for spot verification and claimed that they could not procure the fuel as the JAC cease work strike was still in force.

To this Songthu himself offered to buy the fuel.

Instead of conducting the spot verification, the Vets studied the photos of the dead pigs and inquired about their symptoms.

Songthu informed that the pigs refused to eat.

Nose bleeding and foaming mouth of the sick pigs were the other symptoms.

Songthu again tried to contact the Vets on June 10 and 11 but the Vets simply told his that since June 10 was second Saturday and 11 a Sunday, they could not go.

The Vets also informed Songthu that the disease which had struck the pigs was highly infectious and can spread from one pig to another though it does not affect humans.

The Vets said that there was no point in conducting the spot verification.

Ushai Songthu questioned the live stock reared under the SEGP fund cannot be treated.

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