Location of Manipur : Challenges and opportunities
- Sangai Express Editorial :: May 15, 2013 -

There are challenges galore for economic development of Manipur given the State's poor score in terms of governance and the all pervading conflict situation. Poverty, backwardness, violence, ethnic polarisation, et al continue to be the hallmarks of this beautiful state called Manipur.

When the State is mired by myriad issues and challenges, Moreh undergoes little changes and still looks like a ghost township bereft of any modern civic amenity.

Though the people of Manipur realised long back the geo-strategic as well as commercial importance of Moreh, it was only with the opening up (sic privatization) of Indian economy starting from the period of late Prime Minister Narasimha Rao that Moreh and for that matter Manipur began to arouse the conscience of Delhi mandarins.

The border township of Moreh came to the limelight only with the inception of the much hyped India's Look East Policy in the early 90's.

Since then, there is little progress on ground. Whereas border fencing work has been going on smoothly and speedily, development of trade infrastructure and civic amenities at the border town of Moreh is sluggish at the best, if not totally stagnant.

This is another manifestation of New Delhi's military disposition vis-à-vis the North East region. This does not mean border fencing is not important.

In another word, geo-strategic importance of Manipur was registered in the conscience of New Delhi since the day of Indian independence but commercial viability of Moreh as a trade centre was acknowledged only when its ailing economy was forced to open to foreign capital and investment particularly to the thriving economies of South East Asia.

As long as military concerns override economic priorities, Look East Policy or any other policy would never bring economic upliftment of the impoverished mass. New Delhi needs to think out of the box and shed its colonial concept of frontier vis-à-vis the North East region.

Formal or legal trade between Myanmar and India through Moreh has literally failed to take off 20 years after it was opened. Yet, cross-border smuggling of drugs has grown manifold, and informal trade is flourishing.

In fact, Moreh's official trade is only a small fraction of its large and flourishing informal trade which includes banned drugs and timber.

Drug smuggling between Myanmar and Manipur (India) is a two-way traffic. While heroin and synthetic drugs are smuggled from Myanmar into the Indian side, chemicals like acetic anhydride and ephedrine required for converting raw opium into heroin go in the opposite direction.

The volume is huge and the money involved is astronomical if the recent seizures of drugs on the Indian side are any indication.

Even as the Government of India and the State Government have failed, at least until now, to invigorate and sustain formal border trade through Moreh, now rightly given the sobriquet Gateway to South East Asia, smugglers and big players have been fully exploiting the strategic location of Manipur and Moreh.

Who knows if drug cartels are operating in Manipur?

It cannot be ruled out totally given the high-profile and influential personalities arrested in the past two/three months with huge consignment of drugs.

They included Army officer, police officers, manager of private airliner, MLA's son and who else.

If drug cartels are really operating in Manipur, it is anybody's guess, when would drug mafias rise their ugly heads in the society. Abuse of power by those occupying influential official positions has gone to the limits.

These are some of the challenges rooted in the geographical location of Manipur which the authorities must overcome with firm determination.

Geographical location of Moreh or Manipur is not all about challenges; they are also holding a floodgate of opportunities.

The question is, how the Government of India opens this floodgate. What is crucial is synergy in policy matters as well as socio-economic interaction between India's North East region and South East Asia.

Another major component is the connectivity which is far from satisfactory on the Indian side, more precisely in Manipur. Chief Minister O Ibobi stated in his speech at a one day seminar organised by Army's Red Shield Division at Leimakhong on May 13 that his Government's primary focus is on developing basic infrastructure like connectivity.

If the problem of connectivity is solved satisfactorily, one can say that one core problem of underdevelopment has been addressed.

Until and unless, the problem of connectivity is solved, all the potential and opportunities which are known to exist in the North East region would simply remain as white elephants without serving any practical purpose.

The region's potential in terms of agro-based industries, horticulture, tea, hydro-power, energy, tourism, hospitality industry, medical tourism, adventure sports etc, etc have been already acknowledged but these potentials have never been exploited for the benefit of the people.

To exploit these potentials in a sustainable manner, there is a need for capacity building in the region, and Moreh, already projected as the Gateway to South East Asia needs to be developed as an ultra modern town with all the facilities required for trans-national trade and commerce.

Just as the authorities must overcome the challenges brought about by the strategic location of Manipur, it is equally important to exploit the opportunities provided by the same location in order to propel the region on the path of progress and economic growth.