Train service vow amid fear over influx of migrants
- The People's Chronicle Editorial :: April 14, 2025 -

YET another assurance has been given by a minister of the central government that the Jiribam-Imphal railway line project, in-spite of the challenges faced, will be completed soon, amid failure by the railways authorities to ensure regular service on even the completed section of the project.

Despite expression of apprehension from various quarters that completion of the rail-line construction up to the state's capital Imphal will see sharp spike in the number of non-locals, migrant workers in particular, arriving from mainland states, there are also voices of optimism that once the state is put on the railways map it would facilitate bulk transportation of goods and consequently dilute business sharks from dictating prices of essential commodities.

Without an iota of doubt, the population of non-natives in the state will see quantum jump in case of regular train service up to the capital city as law of the land does not prohibit entry/travel of Indian citizens anywhere in the country.

However, with the inner line permit (ILP) system already in place in the state, judicious enforcement of the said legislation might help the authorities regulate entry of outsiders to an extent and keep a tab on their whereabouts, whereas insincerity on the part of officials entrusted to oversee implementation of the ILP system and laxity by the law enforcement agencies would naturally embolden migrant workers to exploit administrative lacunae in their search for greener pasture in the state and result in population explosion, pose serious threat to existence of the indigenous communities and eventually trigger outrage and protests from civil society organisations which have been fiercely opposed to the idea of bringing in train service without constitutional safeguard for the state's original inhabitants.

While it is obvious that debates would rage on the pros and cons of linking the state's capital with the rest of the country through the railway network, the fact remains that even after introduction of the ILP system and before regular train service there is already continuous inflow of outsiders.

Thus, the latest assurance by Union minister of state (MoS) for railways and food processing industries Ravneet Singh that the Jiribam-Imphal railway line project will be completed soon, despite challenges faced, would evoke mixed response.

In a letter to Manipur's Rajya Sabha MP Leishemba Sanajaoba, the minister claimed that all possible steps are being taken up to ensure the timely completion of the project.

Responding to an appeal raised by the MP in Parliament on February 3, urging the government to expedite the work, the MoS explained that the 111-km railway line aims to put Imphal on the Indian Railways network and is being implemented at an estimated cost of Rs 22,274.57 crore, out of which Rs 14,423 crore has already been spent on the project as on March 31, 2024.

The minister also informed that the Jiribam-Imphal line includes a 55.36-km stretch from Jiribam to Khongsang, which was taken up in two phases - Jiribam-Vangaichungpao (11.80 km) and Vangaichungpao-Khongshang (43.56 km) - in February 2017 and September 2022 respectively.

In view of the successful trial run on the Vangaichungpao-Khongshang sector some months back, traders are certain to be eager for expediting works on the pending project whereas civil societies advocating constitutional protection of the natives would be relishing failure to complete the project years after its commencement as a blessing in disguise and deterrent to imminent thronging of migrant workers in large numbers.