'Heavy fuel' leaked from power station in Manipur spills into streams
Imphal (PTI): Heavy fuel leaked from a power station in Manipur's Imphal valley and spilled into streams flowing alongside it, officials said on Thursday.
The incident happened on Wednesday night at the Leimakhong power station in Kangpokpi district. Streams passing through villages such as Kanto Sabal and Sekmai were affected by the spill, they said.
These streams meet the Imphal river -- the lifeline of the region -- downstream, they added.
The Chief Minister's Office (CMO) directed the departments concerned to take "immediate necessary action to prevent an environment calamity, making use of all available resources in terms of machinery, manpower and expertise".
Heavy machinery was deployed to divert the flow of the water in the affected streams towards fields, an official told PTI.
"It is yet to be determined if miscreants were involved in this or if it was accidental," he said.
Locals said the water of the streams is used by them for daily chores.
"Not just aquatic life but also the communities that depend on the water have been severely threatened by this spill," said Nongmai, a resident of Kanto Sabal.
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Sujit Nair raises concerns over speculation of DMK-AIADMK understanding to block TVK
Chennai: Journalist and political commentator Sujit Nair has expressed concern over speculation that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam could explore a post-poll understanding to prevent Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam from forming the government in Tamil Nadu.
In a social media post, Sujit Nair said the election verdict in Tamil Nadu reflected a clear public demand for political change and argued that the mandate should be respected irrespective of political preferences.
Referring to reports and political discussions surrounding a possible understanding between the DMK and AIADMK, he said he hoped such developments remained only speculative conversations and did not turn into reality.
Nair stated that if such an alliance were to take shape, it would raise serious questions about ideological politics in the country. He said TVK had emerged through a democratic electoral process and that the legitimacy to govern in a parliamentary democracy comes from the people’s verdict.
According to him, attempts to prevent an electoral winner from forming the government through unexpected political arrangements may be constitutionally valid, but many people could view them as politically opportunistic.
He further said that such a move could particularly affect the political image of the DMK, which has historically projected itself around ideology, social justice and opposition politics. Nair said that in ideological terms, the DMK appeared closer to TVK than to the AIADMK, and joining hands with its long-time political rival only to remain in power could weaken its broader political narrative.
He added that the same questions would apply to the AIADMK as well, as the party had spent decades positioning itself against the DMK and such an arrangement could create discomfort among its cadre and supporters.
Drawing a comparison with Maharashtra politics in 2019, Nair said he had expressed similar views when the Shiv Sena formed an alliance with the Indian National Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party after the Assembly elections.
He said post-poll alliances between long-standing political rivals often create a public perception that ideology and electoral mandates become secondary when political power equations come into play.
Nair also said such developments increase public cynicism towards politics and reinforce the belief among voters that ideology is often sidelined after elections.
He maintained that the Tamil Nadu verdict was emphatic and said respecting both the spirit and substance of the mandate was important for the credibility of democratic politics.
