Imphal, Sep 04: An inspection tour of the villages under Tipaimukh subdivision of Churachandpur district from August 25 to September 1 undertaken by a team of 76 comprising students of DESAM, Hmar Students' Association and official experts of several Government Departments has unearthed about 50 cases of malarial infection in the sub-division, informed the president of DESAM, Chinglenkhomba while talking to reporters today at Imphal.

The visit was made with the aim to collect a first hand account of the living conditions and medical facilities available in these villages.

The team included experts of the Health, Social Welfare, Agriculture, Horticulture and Tribal Welfare Departments.

Because of the bad road condition from Imphal, the team went to the sub-division through Cachar using boats on Barak river along the Vangai range.

On reaching Angkasou village of the sub-division, a medical camp was organised there during which about 400 people were examined.

There 20 villagers were confirmed of malarial infection, said the DESAM president.

A lone Government school was serving the village with 1700 people.

Though the school had 57 students, there were only three teachers.

There was no health centre in addition to the total absence of safe drinking water thereby posing severe hardships and plight to the villagers, noted Chinglenkhomba.

Conveying that seven persons had died of malaria last year in Thingkui village inhabited by just 390 persons, he informed that there was no Government school in the village though it had one private school.

At Kangrendo village, out of 400 people examined during a medical camp, 17 persons were found infected by malaria.

There was no facility for health or safe drinking water.

Interestingly, there was not a single Government school in the Tipaimukh sub-division Hqs.

Here too, 11 persons were found malaria positive even though the total number people in the village was just 140, said Chinglenkhomba.

In almost all the villages of the sub-division, safe drinking water and electricity still remain a distant dream besides while the people are facing severe hardships and inadequacies in terms of health care facilities and educational institutions, he noted.

Chinglenkhomba said that the basic objective of the tour was to bring about emotional integrity in the State by bridging the gap between the hills and valley in terms of development and to ensure basic rights to the people of remote places.

He also appealed to the State Government to redress the woes of the villagers and develop viable communication and transport networks with a strong political will.

Comment