Source: Hueiyen News Service
Imphal, April 23 2009:
SOME UNIDENTIFIED persons set on fire and destroyed a hydraulic excavator belonging to the Loktak Development Authority (LDA) at Tera Kachin under Mayang Imphal Police Station last night, police said.
Local villagers found the machine burnt this morning.
The whole engine of the machine had been destroyed.
Director of LDA, Chongtham Gojen told this newspaper that two hydraulic excavators had been used in scooping up the reeds from the Loktak lake at Mayang Imphal Tera Kachin since last three years.
An excavator cost Rs 40 lakhs.
Another new excavator was also parked near the burnt excavator, but the miscreants did not touch it.
The second excavator has now been taken to a safe place.
Gojen further said, the LDA had a total of 29 excavators.
Some unidentified persons had burnt and destroyed one way back in 1998.Another excavator had also been burnt at Thanga in 2000.Three excavators had so far been set afire and destroyed by unknown persons.
The remaining excavators are presently being used in removing reeds from the Loktak lake at Komlakhong, Kelakhong, Ngaikhong, Ningthoukhong, Toupokpi, Ething, etc.
It is not yet known who were responsible for burning the excavator last night.
MLA of Mayang Imphal Assembly Constituency, Dr Kh Ratankumar visited the place of incident and inspected the damage excavator.
Central troops and a team of Imphal west police also rushed to the site and tried to find clues about the miscreants.