Imphal, March 10: "In my long years, I've never seen a development programme taken up by the Government in my village" said 82 year old, frail village chief of Charoipandongba Part I Kachakphul.

"Just for survival, we do any kind of work available to us", he said in a low voice sitting in his dilapidated house.

Charoipandongba Part I village, is located about 12 kms away from Charoipandongba village which is located just 50 kms away from Imphal along NH 53. Narrating the plight of villagers there, the village chief said that even as no one has died of starvation, the village face immense hardships as there is no road to Tupul.

If anyone gets ill, he is transported to Tupul on a stretcher.

There is no electricity nor any school in Charoipandongba Part I.There is no safe drinking water.

"The complaints are countless, we would only ask for construction of a road from Tupul to Charoipandongba and a school for the sake of the younger generations of the village", pleaded Kachakphul.

During an interaction programme with the media organised People's Action for Development (PAD), Kachakphul informed that even though it was said that the Tribal Development Department took up several development programmes for tribal people, none of the villagers have received any kind of benefit from the Department.

PAD president P Asen observed that the State Government has not taken up a single development programme in Charoipandongba Part I & Part II.

Located under Saitu Assembly constituency of Senapati district, Charoipandongba Part I, II and III has 258 households with a total population of 890. In 1972, a large part of Charoipandongba Part I was completely razed down by fire.

Though a list of the families ruined by the fire was submitted to the Government for some compensation, the Government provided just two bags of rice and some clothes.

None of the deserving elders of these three villages have ever received old age pension.

However, after a prolonged gap, the villagers are being provided two litres of kerosene for each household after every three months, said P Asen.

But these villagers have never received a single grain of PDS rice or sugar till date.

Ironically, the villagers have already been issued Green Cards for distribution of PDS items.

Though there is junior school at Charoipandongba Part II, the school is unable to function properly for lack of teachers.

The benefits of Family Benefit Scheme provided by the Social Welfare Department are yet to reach widows of these villages.

After a long struggle, a Primary Health Sub-Centre was constructed at the village last year.

But the construction work has been suspended, reportedly due to monetary demand by UG groups.

Since earlier, in case of any sickness not only in these three villages but also in the surrounding villages, the patients had to be taken in a makeshift raft.

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