Manipur Assembly Session Briefly Adjourned Due to Earthquake

Earthquake Disrupts Legislative Assembly Proceedings

Imphal, March 18: In an unusual event, the Manipur Legislative Assembly's ongoing session was paused for five minutes following an earthquake that was felt within the Assembly Hall on its concluding day.

The tremor occurred at approximately 12:08 PM on Tuesday while Congress Legislature Party leader K Meghachandra was addressing a Cut Motion regarding matters related to the Public Health Engineering Department, including the Jal Jeevan Mission initiative.

Meghachandra, who serves as the representative for the Wangkhem Assembly constituency in Thoubal district, had to halt his address abruptly.

Assembly Speaker Thokchom Satyabrata Singh declared a five-minute adjournment of the House. Subsequently, the session resumed its regular activities.

The Budget Session of the Manipur Assembly commenced on March 9, featuring participation from six out of nine Kuki-Zo legislators, who attended virtually for the first time since the ethnic unrest in May 2023.

The earthquake, which registered a magnitude of 4.3 on the Richter scale, was centered in Kamjong district.

The National Centre for Seismology confirmed the event via a social media post, stating, “Earthquake of Magnitude 4.3, on 17/3/2026 12:08:51 IST, Lat: 24.86 N, Long: 94.18 E, Depth: 45 km, Location: Kamjong, Manipur.”

Fortunately, there were no reports of damage to the Assembly Hall or nearby structures.

In the meantime, the Assembly Speaker adjourned the current session sine die on Tuesday.

The session began with Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh presenting the State’s proposed Budget estimates of Rs 30,356 crore for the fiscal year 2026-27 on the first day. During the session, three government Bills were successfully passed.

Deputy Chief Minister Nemcha Kipgen and MLAs LM Khaute, Letzamang Haokip, Ngursanglur Sanate, Kimneo Haokip Hansing, and Haokholet Kipgen participated in the House proceedings virtually.