Tipaimukh Dam
— Loss of culture or revival of culture? -

RS Jassal *

I wish to use the valued column of your daily paper to ventilate concern ever progress of Tipaimukh issue concisely as well as precisely.

Since I have already written four detailed articles on this issue, attended four to five seminars/discussions in the last five to six years at Imphal, Public awareness programme at Nungba & visiting the Dam site, I feel it my duty as a senior citizen to pen down the few facts for public information.

(a) Back Flash:-

Tipaimukh lies neglected since centuries. Hills around have been denuded of forest cover slowly and steadily. Barak river water ways have been used for clandestine transportation of timber, bamboo & horticulture products mercilessly but honourably & fixed sincerity of denying revenue to the State.

Road Man Bahadur–Parbung- Tipaimukh rendered beyond use by interfering with lawful agencies to carry out maintenance and repair works.

Petrol pumps at the interior along road are lying dry and deserted. I visited the area(s) during Aug 2006. I had to enter Tipaimukh via Sawkardei-Aizwal–Verangte-Silchar road which speaks volumes of our stately concern of manning our inter State border.

Bridge at Tipaimukh river was in dilapidated condition and Army Engineers ex Leimakhong were constructing bridge and putting up buildings (PFH) for storage purposes to maintain Army/Assam Rifle units which were hurriedly moved into Parbung Sector (till then Police sector) to get areas cleared of UG occupation and the IEDs in area TSD subsequent to furore created in the Parliament by H'ble MP, Mr HT Sangliana.

Some villagers were seen carrying ginger with baskets to cross over water to go to Sawkardei sub division in Mizoram (Hmar populated).

A query raised by me was replied interpretted that some UG organisation(s) were charging Rs 10 per basket as tax. Ferry charged Rs 5 per head and basket used to be sold at around Rs 50 – Rs 60. Petrol used to cost Rs 15 extra per litre being brought from Aizawl to be sold at Sikibung side to run odd WILLY jeeps & IInd World War vintage Tata's running on the road Tipaimukh to Langthulien, Parbung.

Police was five constables body at Parbung with no CP at Tipaimukh to regulate inter State Policing activity which is the fundamental duty of Administration. Road Sawkerdai to Tipaimukh bridge side was found left untarmacced even ungravelled (about 2 kms short of Tuivai mullah Junc-anticipatory to submerging of areas subsequent to new road alignment after dam wall comes up.

Situation though has not improved either other than that Army/Assam Rifles battalion are there now who are providing people of communication and local employment service & attending to their basic needs in health sector and in local contracts/ supplies including services for canteen popularly called CSD. Objections to construction of Dam are pouring in from main Nagaland area, Capital parts of Imphal and lately joined by HPC(D) but at the same time not objected by other HPC factions.

Persons well versed in local and international law wish to try knowledge on our home State only over looking to use their moral pressure and legal expertise on China who are damnedly busy in making our Brahmaputra river dry of water. I am referring to blocking of Brahmaputra's down stream flow of water within their jurisdiction.

I am told it is just 1600 km of zig zag length running through their land co-joined by various streams & rivulets into Brahmaputra just like from Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland & Assam. Opponents to dam are willing to mobilise Bangladesh and UN for Tipaimukh but not CHINA to stop their activity under International Human Law (IHL).

In view of above author raises some queries.
(i) Do we wish to keep area 'as it was' and 'as it is' for future generations and keep present generation deprived of power and development? Tipaimukh and Doyeng project were conceived on same date. Doyeng with 75 MW power generation capacity has been completed and is serving the people.

Area prior to that was full of snakes, jackals dark, now it is lighthouse providing light to Nagaland. Earlier Nagaland used to buy current from Mariani sub station of Assam which has been suspended. And yet one feeder unit of 25MW (out of 75 MW) was lying unutilised till 2 years back.

Never mind people there also are bad payees of electric bills like MAJORITY of us are in Manipur. Since Govt of Nagaland had no money to pay to NEEPCO as their dues NEEPCO was selling that to Assam. Here our student community is suffering badly for lack of regular supply of light.

It is inter linked further, as NEEPCO also has to clear the bills of SAILS from whom they purchase fuel to run their plants. Hence comes importance of clearing power consumption bills by every citizen to expect Govt. for continued supply of current.

(ii) Anticipated cost of Tipaimukh multi purpose hydro (electric) project was estimated at Rs 3000 crores to start with. Due to non start for more than six years it raised to revised estimate of Rs 6000 crores two years back.

(iii) I happened to interact with a very senior executive officer of NEEPCO from Shillong on his visit to Imphal recently. He divulged it has again to be further revised if works are delayed and estimate may go up to Rs 8000 crores. If it will be so, it is going to impact wished advantages to the State & people proportionately.

In view of above the organisations and individuals who are against it must appreciate the real cause of objections which may be monetary transactions between Govt & THE PEOPLE, and not environs clearance or Forest clearance.

To support my point did any organisation ever raise objection to Forest, Environ sector for illegal extraction of timber from Tipaimukh Sub Division (TSD)? Unknown till dam issue came up. Despite the fact that Christianity is holding strength there & in Bible it is told as sin if one does not pay the taxes to Govt as Govt is agreed to be part of GOD & its system.

Have we ever realised why Mizoram Government and their people are not raising any violent objections though their river is also going to be tapped? De facto Tuivai taken as Mizoram origin also emanates from Manipur from close to Parbung known as Tuibum Lui enters Myanmar & turns around & with boost in water of numerous nallahs & rivulet thorough Mizoram merges into Barak.

And the power once generated may be providing light to dark areas of Hmar or Zou segments in Myanmar too which will become necessary one day as a resultant. Note, Mizoram is still better of in supplying power to their State and its people and their power cut will be zero once project gets functional. If stores & heavy machineries for Dam/Project are transported ex Silchar-Verangte-Aizwal-Sawkardai axis to Tipaimukh, how much economic boost it will be providing to Mizos is a matter of imagination worth weighing by common sense.

And if same activity undertaken along Jiribam, MB road to Parbung-Tipaimukh how much advantages people in Manipur can accrue is also worth evaluating. It is said Govt gave first priority to lay Foundation Stone only then first ensuring developing the road along which stores were to reach.

Remember it was only Army & Assam Rifles who reached there without waiting for communication steadiness & physical comforts. Civil stores can now reach & technicians, engineers will never reach without security.

What happened to CRPF security cover of 3 Bns initially on this plan board? How many influential's big top IFS, IAS, IPS and high counting dignitaries hailing for Tipaimukh sub division come back and would like to settle in their own place?

It is left to be an open ground for anybody and everybody who can add to the misery, sorrows & dark side of human activity. If empowerment to people, enlightenment to the people, better life to the people without making them move out of the State that too not far away but just a few kms that too for odd 2000 persons in total can lead to amelioration of their living would you like to call it as 'loss of culture' as professed by some anti dam protagonists.

Author leaves it to the reader's wisdom, especially inhabitants of that region to decide. As regards loss of identity it is a paradoxical thought.

If five persons of different identities are living together each one has to strive hard to guard his identity but where only one distinct group of people (here I mean Hmars) are living since time identifiable by known history, how they are going to lose their identity by moving a few km away that too to re-settle in same ethnic combine. It is wise to leave the problem (surmountable) to the Govt alone.

However NGOs must take full measure to ensure compensation to the people so affected may be step by step as per MOU and in a progressive manner. Money and mode of disbursement of compensation problem will be there since Chiefs, and UG organisations are involved. It will be a BIG EXERCISE indeed.

But then the Govt may consider constituting a COMMITTEE of influential's (three to five) such persons who are sincere and men of integrity to over see the implementation of MoU clauses. Fortunately such persons are available in Manipur.

Imagine this project if divorced from contrarian pulls of various sorts & with controlled communitisation of security & protection it will be not only the first 'LIGHT HOUSE' but the first Water City too of Manipur—the biggest ever project in the NE, just second to Bhakra Nangal Hydro Dam of same MW capacity(1500). Delay in execution of the Project is going to affect railway line alignment around Makru River too.