Battered and tattered roads : Of road sinks and potholest
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: July 13, 2024 -

The ongoing ethnic violence, incessant rainfall leading to flooding in many parts of Imphal in quick succession, twice, in a span of 30 days or so and the rain God and conduct of man have combined ‘beautifully’ to script the devastation that is Manipur today.

A look at any of the major roads in Imphal will leave no one in doubt that far from marching towards the understanding of a Smart City, the place lies battered and tattered.

The ongoing ethnic violence has ensured that the resources of the State have been stretched to the limit, leaving very little for maintenance leave alone anything for developmental works and the heavy rain in quick succession leading to flooding twice in less than 30 days only compounded the woes of the place and her people.

Imphal continues to bear the extreme inconveniences of being hit by the combined blow delivered by man’s conduct and the rain God.

Look further to the east and the Imphal-Ukhrul road is nowhere near the understanding of a State highway and the weather God only made things worse with two of the most heavy spells of rain stretching from the latter part of May to early June and yet again from the last days of June to the early days of July.

More than evident that Manipur is yet to fully recover from the heavy rain in a span of 30 days or so with many localities in Imphal still coping with soggy roads and lanes.

Work of declogging the waterways is underway at some localities of Imphal and while no one knows when the water would be drained off completely, no one seems to know when the construction work of the Yaingangpokpi to Finch Corner stretch on the Imphal-Ukhrul road would be completed.

The ongoing turmoil could have disrupted the smooth flow of the work, but then Ukhrul district is not directly affected and the target of completing the road work was two years, the work for which started back in 2020.

One may see confidence in the proclamation of Transport Minister Khashim Vashum that the road construction work would be completed this year, but then again this was more or less the same assurance that was given when Ukhrul AC MLA Ram Muivah and Phungyar AC MLA Leishiyo Keishing inspected the road work some time back.

It was in February 21 this year that Rajya Sabha MP and titular king of Manipur, Leishemba Sanajaoba expressed concern over the condition of the Imphal-Ukhrul road but it has remained just that, a show of concern.

The MPs observation came during the dry season and now with the sky having opened up one can understand why the Raphei Katamnao Long (RKL) and Northern Raphei Students’ Union felt compelled to lock the office of the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited at Kamphasom in Ukhrul on July 10.

The act of the two student organisations may be understood as rising against the pathetic Ukhrul-Shirui road and which led to the road sink at Langdang village which lies between Ukhrul and Shirui village.

The importance of this road should be understood in the context of the fact that the Ukhrul-Shirui road goes all the way to Jessami which connects to Nagaland.

This fact should not be lost on the Government for roadways is the oxygen line of a landlocked State like Manipur and her people.

The first priority is obviously to take Manipur to the path of normalcy but at the same time the Government should not forget that there are other pressing matters that need to be addressed to on a priority basis.

A look at the roads of Imphal should more than reflect how it must be like in the other districts and on important routes like the Imphal-Ukhrul road and while this particular stretch of road makes it to the news only when some disturbances occur or when some high profile personalities take stock of the road condition, an interaction with any Tomba, Hongba or Chaoba who has travelled on this said route will give a clearer picture.

Or better still talk to any of the bus or taxi drivers plying their vehicles on the Imphal-Ukhrul road and one will get a better understanding of how pathetic the road stretch has become.

Situation is such that there is today no standard time to calculate the time it takes to travel from Imphal to Ukhrul or from Ukhrul to Imphal, for much depends on whether the sky opens up or not.

As the report carried by The Sangai Express on July 10 and which appeared in the July 11 edition said, a journey on this route takes back one to the time of the late 70s and early 80s when one had to catch the bus as early as 6 in the morning at Imphal to reach Ukhrul well after dusk.