Advantage Moreh

By Lunminthang Haokip *

Apparent Disadvantages: For all its popularity as the only all-season eastern corridor of India to ASEAN countries, Moreh, in Manipur State administrative parlance, is nothing more than a Rural Development Block head quarter. Its population belies its international relevance as a trading hub on the much-hyped up Trans-Asian Highway.

Out of the 1,44,028 residents of Chandel district, Census of India, 2011's enumeration rounds of fast-paced phase exercises finally recorded only 22,802 as the total inhabitants of Moreh Block. Like in Manipur's southern district, Churachandpur, the larger chunk of the development segment's populace settles in the Head Quarter. In a flattened world where population-size matters in city-building, Moreh's 16,284 permanent resident totals figure nowhere.

Wanting Infrastructure: If an optimistic first-timer tourist insists on getting Moroccan facilities on arrival at modest Moreh, he's in for a shock. In fact, the 41 Km bumpy downhill drive from hill-top fridge township, Tengnoupal, to the border destination will be indicative of the shape of things to come.

Eyeing around for a piped roadside loo where you can have an overdue leak or a cross-country stopover eatery where you can go for a quick fill with modern fast-food will mean asking for the moon. The off-highway roads linking the localities of the eastern corridor had either got corroded due to neglect or got compressed due to lack of concrete. Food-stalls are tiny, smoky and dingy.

Hospitality Woes: Barring the few government Guest houses issue of stay-permits for which is the concerned state-capital-based HoD's prerogative, there are no decent spacious lodging the border trading nerve-centre can offer to its visitors. A co-incidental Moreh-visit of two or more VVIPs with their complete entourage on the same day makes the local administration fiddle in inaction.

Accommodations are few; room-seekers are plenty. The Paharganj-type cabins small-time hoteliers offer are okay for daily shuttle-vendors but professionals will find them too proletarian. Nevertheless, undaunted domestic tourists keep pouring in, on days other than bundh-days, like the monsoon rains that do not know when to stop.

Traffic Woes: Loaded to double or treble its body-height with third-country-delivered Chinese merchandise, Tata Sumos struggle for space in peak hours at downtown Moreh. Ningol-Chak Kouba shopping creates mini-traffic jam at the Sumo parking turning in the absence of a uniformed policeman to regulate bumper-to-bumper vehicular nudging and elbowing. Unregistered auto-rickshaws vie with one another to accelerate past stationery SUVs like in football dribble of a final match.

Traffic mishmash, in the recent past, ended up in exchange of fisticuffs or in breaking windshields. The nearest Vehicle Office is 86 Kms away at Thoubal. No one bothers to ventilate their grouses there due to distance factor.

Limited Role: In desperation, the border Block Administrator was usually approached to settle the rabble-rousing parking issues. Equipped with no statutory authority in the matter, the local Administrator could not really help, save to appeal for peace. An actor cannot rise above his role or the given script. Parking space is at a premium near Gate no. 2 up to which point VVIPs are usually driven down to shop. The whistling and umpiring of the 31 AR personnel at the border-edge post hardly mitigates the gravity of the four-wheeler-tussle for Namphalong shoppers.

Municipal Misconceptions: Going by the volume of urban activities and its burgeoning population, Moreh is qualified to be declared a Municipal Council under Manipur Municipality Act, 1994. The main hub of Indo-Myanmar trade and the chosen venue as one of India's ICPs (Integrated check Posts) cannot be administered otherwise.

Maintenance of lanes and sewage, waste management, lighting and maintenance of public roads, registration of births and deaths, construction of amusement parks and auditoria, management of pay and use toilets and hygienic slaughter houses are some of the pressing urban agenda that need to be urgently addressed. Mindsets and misgivings being what they are, municipal moves had been discouraged by a large chunk of the local citizenry. This factor accounts for the State Government's inability to pump in bigger UD funds to the lagging tourist destination.

The Neighbourly Precedence: If desire is not to see the gateway town to Myanmar as a glorified village or make do with being dubbed Tamu's poorer twin brother for ever, it's time to latch on to the Municipal Council bandwagon as was done with Kohima, Dimapur, Mokokchong, Jowai and Aizawl of late in our own NE neighbourhood. Suitable amendments made accordingly in the Manipur (Hill Areas) ADC Act, 1971 and succeeding legislations in the appropriate levels will make Moreh reap the benefits of the 18 items listed in The Twelfth Schedule (Article 243W) of the Constitution of india (Seventyfourth Amendment) Act, 1992.

Improved Situation: In the light of the unsavoury happenings on the NH-2 and 37, the State forces swung into action on NH-102. Every alternate day, about 300 vehicles are escorted from Khangshim to Moreh and vice versa by Manipur Police under the supervision of the SP, Chandel. Regular patrol, come rain or storm, on the same route by committed chatak-patak personnel of 42 AR, 29 AR and 31 AR sanitised the entire periphery of NH-102.

Besides, the mental makeup of the people of Chandel district had changed for the better. Petty robbery on highway rubbery is passé. The fast-buck bug had bitten the youth, thanks to the national economic boom. Consumerism is doing an area-dominance.

Making Capital Of Situation: Due to various setbacks, Indo-Myanmar official commercial transactions may not have gained much momentum. But as long as big brother China sends tons of attractive low-cost and short-lasting dispo household stuff through Muse (Burmese town bordering China), and long as shoppers from NE India do not mind being made a sucker of, business at Moreh, Namphalong and Tamu will keep thriving. Of course, the occasional discerned buyer comes out with a surprise value for money. In movements to and from Moreh, fear of the past is gone with the win of better sense. Capitalism is gaining ground at the cost of Marxism. Namphalong sells, Manipur buys.

Business Makes Busy Nests: Ad slogan for the sandalwood-smeared Ooty claimed that Summer is gone from the southern hill station. Likewise, economic blockades are gone from Moreh. Border Fencing work is in good progress from BP-79 northwards. But other places along Manipur's boundary line are sadly porous. When the State capital is reeling under acute shortage of petrol, diesel and other essential commodities, Moreh does not feel the pinch.

Goods keep coming from Myanmar through front and back-doors. Invisible big-players who control the market forces and currency exchange ratio ensure that cash inflow is not throttled. Small players are the visible executioners of dictated orders to disobey which is an occupational risk. In the bargain to add value in selling items in foreign currency, many home-fires are fuelled to keep burning.

Midnight Con-boy: Nay Pyi Taw is hell-bent on adding muscle to the Kyat. A hundred Rupee fetched 2000 Kyats a few months ago. As of now, the unofficial Rupee-Kyat ratio heavily tilts in their favour at 1:16. The official international equations tell another story though.

Despite unpredictable fluctuations in exchange rates, the core merchandise trading continues. Money is preferred to be hoarded in Rupee at Tamu. Truck-loads of import and export items are emptied to be carried as head-loads across the foreign shire past midnight when less-ambitious mortals grab shut eyes. Hard-nosed merchants never sleep at night. That's when fortunes are made, by hook or by crook.

Advantage Moreh: Notional pessimism may voice Zokhothar in Mizoram as an alternative Indo-Myanmar trading hub. Mizoram's border town may match its Manipuri counterpart in proximity to Myanmar territory but the same is no patch on Moreh when it comes to commercial location and viability. Quality of roads is vital to speedy movement of things. Alternative route-seekers may transport their wares on the 80 Km passable kutcha Kalemyo – Teddim line.

But beyond that, all-season motor thoroughfare comes to a screeching halt. The 50 Km Teddim – Zokhothar dirt-track is a monsoon nightmare for motorists. No sensible businessman will fail to see the difference between the cumbersome Chin Hills route to Mizoram and the smooth plain stretch from Kalewah to Tamu that can ferry merchandise to India without speed-breakers.

Gospel Business: Globalization has its own side-effects. Drug-trafficking and the wide spread of AIDS, for example, gained speed as Trans-Asian Highway made inroads from one country to another. The tragedy of millions of untimely deaths caused by HIV can only be check-mated by an aggressive accelerated spread of the Gospel Truth.

"Wherefore He (Jesus) is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him (Jesus), seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for them (Hebrews 7:25)". Moreh is situated at a spiritual vantage point. It's at the threshold of Myanmar where 4 Asian Highways, AH-1, AH-2, AH-3 and AH-14 meet and move ahead. The Gospel offers to save and give eternal life. No other business delights the Creator as Gospel business does. Believers will do well to make Moreh a GBH – Gospel Business Hub.

Lunminthang Haokip

* Lunminthang Haokip, a resident of Old Lambulane, Imphal and posted at Moreh, Manipur is a regular contributor to e-pao.net. He can be contacted at lunminthang(dot)haokip(at)gmail(dot)com or his blog here
This article was webcasted on October 28, 2011.