Imphal, September 08, 2009: The size of the chemically treated bed nets provided by the Government to Kasom Khullen block, to prevent malaria, is so small that the people are using it for another purpose - fishing.

This interesting fact of using bed nets as fishing nets in Kasom Khullen block came to light during a recent inspection tour of the remote areas conducted jointly by Information Centre for Hills Area of Manipur (ICHAM) and Tangkhul Aze Katamnao Long.

When the inspection team visited Khamlang village, which is under Kasom Khullen Block, the village authority and the villagers disclosed that the size of the bed nets provided to them by the Government for protection from malaria are so small that it does not fit their beds but they find it very convenient for use in fishing purposes.

They further disclosed that only one bed net was also allocated to one household.

Informing that cold diarrhoea and fever are some of the common health problems faced by the children, the villagers said that the first and foremost thing they would like to have in their village is the facility for first aid treatment.

The prevailing health care facilities are also no better in other villages like Tangkhul Khullen, Mawai, Khoirupok, Kasom Village, Somtar, which have been covered during the tour.

On the other hand, the condition of the 37 km long road which connects Kasom Khullen Block with Yairipok is so bad that it took more than 3 hours for the inspection team to traverse even on four wheeler.

In case of breakdown along the route, there is no other option but to spend the night in the wilderness.

The difficulty of the villagers who depend on this route for transport has been further compounded in the current rainy season.

During the course of interacting with the villagers, it also came to light that none of them knew anything about the developmental schemes and projects being taken up by the Tribal Welfare Department as they have not received any benefit from the Department all these years.

As to the scenario of power supply in remote these villages under Kasom Khullen block, the complaint of the villagers are same everywhere.

It is either electricity not yet reaching the village so far or no more electricity supply after the first day of connection.

In such a situation, some of the villages have taken up the initiative of installing transformers after contributing among from among the villagers themselves.

The villagers have also no idea on where to lodge complaint in connection with depriving their due share of food items under the Public Distribution System.

So they accept when it is provided and remain quite it is not given.

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