Fertile imaginations - Stale options
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: August 12 2011 -

Kohima-Jessami-Ukhrul route. National Highway 53 (now NH-37). Bring in goods by any means. These are some of the options or hallucinations that have been pouring out from the fertile imaginations of the Government and if the matter was not so serious this would have surely made it to the coveted Bill Board chart buster as one of the dumbest yarns spun in this dotcom age.

That transporters and drivers did not find the idea of the Government amusing and have poured cold water over the grand idea to let fuel tankers and LPG carriers take the Kohima-Jessami-Ukhrul route should not come as a surprise to anyone who has a fair idea of the topography of the Jessami route as well as the highly demanding job of negotiating a fuel laden truck through the mountainous terrain of the region.

What is amusing is the announcement that the Government would ensure that goods from outside the State are brought in by any means. Coming as it did in the midst of the intense agitation launched by the Sadar Hills Districthood Demand Committee, we may surmise that the SPF Government is intent on sending out the message that come what may, it would do all it can to ensure that essential goods are available to the people.

The sentiment is appreciable and at least the Chief Minister and his men will have something to fall back on when quizzed by their political masters from Delhi.

However there is an uneasy air of deja' vu, that overwhelming feeling, that the past has returned to haunt the collective psyche of the people again and nowhere is this more pronounced than the time when the Government spokesman announced for one and all to hear that NH-53 as an option to bring in the stranded fuel laden trucks and LPG carriers from Khakhatti is very much in the reckoning.

Landlocked as it is, the need to connect Manipur with the rest of the world with as many routes as possible has always been felt and this need was given a new definition and thrust during and after the 52 days economic blockade imposed by the All Naga Students' Association, Manipur in 2005.

This was followed by yet another economic blockade in 2010 which lasted for more than 60 days. For the third time, in a span of eight years or so, the Government has been forced to sing the same tune that was sounded last year as well as in 2005.

Thrice in eight years and there is nothing melodious nor sweet sounding in the tune being hummed right now, for the simple reason that there is absolutely no business to accord the evergreen status to this tune.

If governance is something that exists in the lexicon of the present dispensation then it should have made sure that NH-53 is upgraded to an all weather National Highway a long time back, in fact during the 52 days economic blockade of 2005.

More routes connecting Manipur to the outside world means so many things and perhaps to the people the most significant meaning will the farewell given to NH-39 as the only route connecting Manipur to the outside world.

So while the Government keeps twiddling its thumb and tries to make up its mind on which route should the goods trucks ferry in essential goods, all major hospitals have stopped routine operation following the exhaustion of medical oxygen.

Prices of essential goods, which are needed daily in the life of the people, have skyrocketed with reports coming in that a kilogram of potatoes has touched the Rs 35 to Rs 40 per Kg ceiling. Stocks of live saving drugs have run out and it may not be long before information pours in of the death of some people for want of timely administration of medicines.

To any keen observer, the story that lies in the burnt remains of each truck and Government office along NH-39 would be clear. The ashes of each burnt truck and each Government office not only reflect the angst and frustration of the Sadar Hills district advocates but also tell the story of a Government which has refused to move and prioritise the task before it.

It is a damning indication of a Government which is so drunk with the pelf of power and privileges that it has refused to see what needs to be done. How long should the people continue to be fed with daily inputs on the condition of a National Highway ? It is outrageous to even think that nothing has been learnt from 2005 and 2010.

Why the heck should the Government study the option of NH-53 ? Logic tells us that the moment NH-39 is off limit to the civil population, vehicles should have automatically shifted to NH-53 ? Why this is not so rings out loud with the condition of the road.

Sure there will be disturbances on this route too, but this does not explain the question of why it should be news material when trucks decide to come along this route. Isn't that what highways and that too National Highways are meant to be ?

It was not so long ago that we heard the SPF Government bellowing in all its might about how sloppily the BRTF has been dispensing with its duty of maintaining the highway.

In line with this argument, the State Government made the grand announcement that it would take over the construction and maintenance of NH-53 but no one seems to know what has happened since then.

What is the present status of this highway ? Doesn't it say something significant that NH-53 comes to the consciousness of the Government only when there is trouble on NH-39 ?