Manipur: PHED Head Office in Thoubal District Devastated by Fire

IMPHAL: In a tragic incident, a massive fire took place at the head office of the Public Health Engineering Department (PHED) in Thoubal District, destroying property worth crores on Friday night.

The fire, which broke out around 11:30 pm destroyed the old building of the PHED, as per the fire service sources.

Fortunately, there were no casualties or injuries. The office caretaker was able to escape unharmed.

The fire spread through multiple buildings, including the offices of the Executive Engineer, Assistant Engineers, Section Officers, and other officials, causing extensive damage.

The fire might have been caused by an electrical short circuit, considering the age of the old building, sources said.

Upon receiving the information, two fire tenders from the Thoubal district headquarters rushed to the scene. However, by the time they arrived, the fire had already engulfed most of the old building, the report stated.

As per to an on-site investigation completed on Saturday, the estimated losses from the fire amount to over Rs 1.1 core.

In a recent development, the Supreme Court had state government to provide financial support to UPSC candidates living in troubled hill districts of the state.

The decision aims to help students travel to exam centres outside the state. The court acted on a Special Leave Petition challenging the Delhi High Court’s ruling, which only allowed travel reimbursement for candidates going to the exam centre in Imphal. The High Court’s fixed allowance of Rs 1000 per day was deemed in adequate.

The bench, led by Chief Justice DY Chandrachund and including Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, has directed that financial aid for candidates be raised from Rs 1000 to Rs 3000 per candidate per day.

This increase is not restricted to students choosing the Imphal center but applies to any candidate from the troubled hill region.

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