Interim rehabilitation measure of the Govt
- The People's Chronicle Editorial :: August 23, 2023 -

IT is good to learn that the Government of Manipur is ready to hand over at least 1400 temporary houses to the people who have been rendered homeless in the over three-month long ethnic violence in the tiny northeastern state by the end of the current month.

In addition to hundreds of precious human lives lost and valuable properties, both public and private, reduced to ashes; thousands of families on either side of the clash have been displaced from their homes and hearths, thus, forcing to seek shelter in the numerous relief camps set up across the length and breadth of the state following the unprecedented ethnic violence that broke out between the Meitei/ Meetei and Kuki-Chin communities on the evening of May 3 last.

As many of these relief camps have been opened at schools, colleges and other government buildings, which could not be allowed to occupy for long, the need for arranging alternative places for housing the displaced people had been felt all along.

So, in June last, Manipur Chief Minister N Birep Singh announced the government's plan to construct nearly 4000 pre-fabricated houses of two room sets for shifting the displaced people from the relief camps.

Consequent to the announcement, construction of the temporary houses had been taken up on a war footing after proper survey and identification of the locations in different parts of the state.

As per information received, of the total pre-fabricated houses proposed to be constructed, 200 that are being constructed near Sajiwa Jail in Imphal East district are nearing completion while 80 percent of the construction work on similar houses which could accommodate another2oo families has been completed in Sawombung, also in Imphal East district.

Another 200 pre-fabricated houses for accommodating at least 400 displaced families are being constructed at Yaithibi Loukol in Thoubal district and 400 houses for relocating displaced people residing in relief camps opened in Moirang, Thanga and Kumbi areas at Kwakta in Bishnupur district.

Moreover, the pre-existing structures at Sericulture Training Institute campus, Kwakta are being revamped and buildings which could accommodate 50 families are under construction in Top Chingtha under Andro Assembly Constituency.

In addition to this, the state administration is learnt to have completed survey for construction of pre-fabricated houses in 12 villages of Ukhrul district to house as many as 2887 internally displaced families in the district.

Leaving aside the question and the issue of some powerful civil society organisations raising strong objection to the plan for construction of pre-fabricated houses as interim rehabilitation centres for the displaced people in any part of Ukhrul district for some very obvious reasons, what we would like to stress here is that the Government of Manipur has done a commendable job in getting it ready within such a short time to hand over at least 1400 temporary houses to the displaced people by the end of the current month.

Of course, these prefabricated houses constructed by the government for the displaced people could never provide the kind of comfort and happiness one could get from living in their own houses, howsoever modest it may be.

But this arrangement is definitely a better option than living in relief camps, which do not have even the basic amenities of life and lack privacy.

The schools, colleges and government buildings which are being used as relief camps also need to be vacated for ensuring proper education of the students and the administrative works to go on unhindered, even if the current senseless ethnic violence is to go on forever, or till the two warring communities come to their senses.