Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, April 25:
Even though development in medical sciences has crossed all frontiers, the people of Manipur who are living in villages located along the border with Nagaland are yet to see a doctor, nay, even a nurse posted in their local dispensaries.
Not to speak of a Government doctor, there is not even a nurse to look after the sick and ailing people right from Maram village under Tadubi A/C to Thampung, the last bordering village of Manipur with Nagaland's Peren District.
There are in all 29 villages located along the Maram-Peren Road which serves as a connecting land route between the two neighbouring States.
The people of these remote and underdeveloped villages have to come down all the way till proper Maram, if they are lucky enough to have settled close to Maram for medical treatment, even for buying a medicine like Cough syrup.
But for those living in the interior villages like Yangkhullen, Bendramai, Thampung, etc, they preferred to go to Paren district of Nagaland for medical treatment by walking through the porous border instead of undergoing the ordeal of coming down to Maram.
Besides this, there is not a single Government High School meant for the people settled along both sides of the 84-kilometre long road stretch from Maram to Thampung.
However, as for Willong village, Education Minister Francis Ngajokpa has taken up the initiative of setting up a Junior High School and the work for constructing a semi-pucca building at an estimated cost of Rs 3 lakhs currently being taken up.
On the future prospect of development in these remote areas, the approval given by the Union Ministry of Road Surface and Transport for converting the 180 kilometre long road from Maram to Paren into doubled lane is worth mentioning.
The State Govt had reportedly submitted a proposal for sanctioning Rs 54 crores toward repairing the road constructed at a total cost of Rs 86 crores by the BRTF personnel.