Tousem Sub-Division bracing up for hard 'monsoon' life
Source: Hueiyen News Service / Addie Chiphang

Tamenglong, June 21 2013 : With rumbling sound of monsoon season already heard, people in villages of Tousem Sub-Division in Tamenglong district are bracing up yet again to face one of the hardest times of the year.

With their Jhum cultivation hit hard with lowest yield due to rodent menace and the State Government not providing any relief so far, citing pending of administrative file works, the poor villagers are quite sure that by the time the file works are done, some of the farmers would meet their end from hunger.

"If no relief arrives in time before the fast approaching monsoon season, this is sure to happen," Haijuakambe of Taguaram village said while talking to this reporter.

Finding no choice, some of the people who could afford have started lifting rice from nearby villages of Assam like Tungge, Laisong, etc walking over a distance of 30 to 40 kms on foot, Haijuakambe added.

To add to the problem of the people, the only Pucca Bridge in the area had been washed away in the torrential rain last year.

The entire sub-division has been pressing the higher authorities for rebuilding the same but in vain.

Villagers of Tousem crossing Makru river on their way to work or market

In the absence of the bridge, the villagers themselves have constructed a suspension bridge for emergency purposes.

But it is likely; it would not withstand the fury of monsoon for long.

For people in villagers like Phoklong and others situated along Tousem range, the only motorable route connecting to Tousem sub-divisional headquarters is through the Khongsang-Jiribam road, which is about 220 kms and takes about 12 hours to reach even on a good weather day from Tamenglong district headquarters by vehicle.

Despite several demands for storing up sufficient rice stock during dry season, nothing has been done to ameliorate the difficulties of the people by the authorities all these years.

On the other hand, transportation cost has risen so high that hiring a vehicle is beyond the capacity of many poor villagers.

Moreover, the rice provided to the villagers by the Government under its Public Distribution System never reach the villagers in time apart from they never received all the allocated quota as the transportation cost is to be recovered from the allocated rice itself.

Thus, rice is sold in Tousem villages at a rate of above over Rs.15 to Rs.18 per kg.

On the other hand, medical facility is another nightmare that the villagers are bracing up to face during the monsoon.

Even though handing over the management of Tousem PHC by the Government to 'Karuna Trust' may have brought about a marked improvement in the health care delivery system, but search for a regular MBBS doctor to work at the PHC still remains a herculean task so far.

At present only Nurses and Ayush Doctors are running the PHC/ PHSC in Tousem areas.

With approaching monsoon rain, malaria, typhoid and other related seasonal diseases are once again making their presence felt like every year, and the villagers are wondering what they are going to do with minimal health care facilities available.

Further, Karuna Trust, which has been giving its best service in Tamenglong, has complained that the salaries of the staff have been halted for too long, over 4 months now.

The same case happened last year when the staffs were not paid for over 5 months.

Finally, the aggrieved staffs had to vacate the PHC and the PHSC, informed the villagers.