Imphal, December 06 2008: With whatever provision of food they have running out barely days before the Christmas festival, people of Henglep sub-division under Churachandpur district are not in a position to celebrate the Christmas festival in any grand style this year.

The people of the sub-division are put in the present state of dire straits following massive destruction of their crops by rodents whose population literally exploded in the wake of extensive bamboo flowering in some hill districts of Manipur, particularly Churachandpur and Tamenglong.

Under Henglep sub-division, rodents caused havoc in the paddy fields of New Saikot, Demulnui, Dawzang, Henglep, Bongmol, Mollem, Najang, Bolkot, Sangkot, Molnom, Thinghijang, Selkap and Damjou villages and the annual paddy harvest was drastically lower this year.

During interaction with this reporter, chiefs of these villages said that a paddy field which usually yielded 250 to 300 tins only yielded 100 to 130 tins this year.

Every year, each household made preparations to build granaries on the arrival of harvesting season but this year no family took the trouble to build granaries.

The much-reduced quantities of rice reaped this season have already been consumed ahead of the Christmas, said the chiefs while appealing to the authority concerned to provide food grains for the people of Henglep sub-division in view of the forthcoming Christmas festival.

People residing in more remote villages away from the Henglep sub-divisional headquarters brought sawn timbers after cutting down trees from the hills till Henglep for exchange with rice, the chiefs conveyed.

Thinghijang village authority secretary Lalkhodou Haokip said that in the absence of proper motor-able road, villagers bring sawn timber on their heads till Henglep.

There they exchange one KB of timber with four kilograms of Super Fine rice.

Thinghijang village is located 3 kms East of Henglep sub-divsion.

The barter system is also a reality for many families of Selkap, Molnom, Bolkot and other villages located away from Henglep sub-divisional headquarters.

Even at the sub-divisional headquarters itself, there is very few decent grocery shops as the transport infrastructure around the area presents a dismal picture.

Strangely, rice, sugar and kerosene provided by the Government under Public Distribution System are found to be available in these shops.

For the people of remote villages, these PDS items provided by the Government at subsidised rates are exchanged with sawn timber or bought if they have money.

Some people come up to Churachandpur Bazar to procure their essential commodities.

One kilogram of Super Fine rice costs Rs 19/20 at Churachandpur while it costs Rs 25 at Henglep.

For kerosene, the price ranges from Rs 35 to Rs 40 per litre at Henglep when it costs Rs 30 to 35 at Churachandpur.

One kilogram of sugar costs Rs 30 to Rs 32 at Henglep while the same costs Rs 28 to 30 at Churachandpur.

Even as people of the sub-division are facing acute shortage of food grains, PDS items do not reach the people fully.

The villagers also sought immediate attention of the Government in this regard.

Acknowledging that they get certain minimum benefits from NREGS, the villagers said that these benefits were too small to tide over their misfortune.

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