Northern Kangla moat lies in wilderness
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, January 15, 2011:
Notwithstanding the efforts being made to develop Kangla and beautify it along with plantation of various decorative plants and flowers, the attention of Kangla Fort Board seems to have missed the pitiable condition of Kangla moat on the northern side.
The moat extending from in front of Public Works Department office complex at Khuyathong to North AOC on the northern side of Kangla is today in a pitiable condition from long years of neglect.
When The Sangai Express conducted a spot inspection, it was found that either sides of the moat have been overgrown with grasses which too have been thicken like Phumdis.
After long years of public demand, Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh finally handed over Kangla, which was till then being occupied by 17 Assam Rifles, to people of Manipur on November 20, 2004. Along with Chief Minister O Ibobi Singh taking over the symbolic key of Kangla from the Prime Minister, the Kangla Fort Board had been subsequently constituted for the development of Kangla.
With the efforts of Kangla Fort Board, some portion of Kangla indeed have become a sight to behold today even as various Departments of the Government like PDA, PWD, Environment and Ecology Wing, Forest, Horticulture and Soil Conservation, Police Housing and IFCD chipping in to the development of Kangla.
However, the moat on the northern side which too is a part of Kangla seems to have been left out from the purview of these developmental works.
This is despite the fact that the water from the moat is being used by many families and hotels in Bazar area and beyond.
From long years of neglect, the water of the moat on the northern side of Kangla has today become putrid and smelly from dying grasses and use of the embankment as toilet.
Yet, migrant workers have been collecting water from this moat at least five trips in a day to supply to the people of the surrounding area.
These water porters informed that they could earn around Rs 100 to Rs 200 daily from supplying water from the moat.
From long years of neglect, the water level in the moat has also become shallower over the years.
Although the Government of India has sanctioned fund in terms of crores of rupees for the development of Kangla, the developmental work inside as well as outside Kangla is still far from completion.