Among the many things not running smooth in Manipur, India’s Jewel, are the roads. The transport system in this north-eastern state for more than a decade, has been a matter of concern for most Manipuris, especially the Hmar tribe living in Tipaimukh sub division of Churachandpur district. With the impending ‘Mautam’ (famine due to Bamboo flowering) in the region, villagers in the sub division are a worried lot as there are practically no government office functioning in the area to turn to.

The all important National Highway 150, also called Tipamukh Road, was built in the 80s to connect Aizawl (Mizoram), Imphal (Manipur) and Kohima (Nagaland). Today, it can easily be called the most neglected national highway in the entire country. Out of the 700 kms of the highway, a stretch of 523 km, passing through Manipur is hardly motorable. The State’s Public Works Department which took over maintenance of the road from the Border Roads Task Force in the early 90’s hardly repaired the road with most of the fund being allegedly diverted to other channels.

Travelling by bus is out of the question. On rare occasions when trucks used this road, they took two-three days to cover a distance of 262 km! David Buhril, a Delhi-based social worker, who recently visited Tipaimukh village to take stock of bamboo flowering and its effects in the region observed: “The National Highway can be mistaken for a stream, if not a pool, or a plowed field.”

In October 2006, the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) was assigned to take over the reconstruction work. However, the work is yet to begin due to security issue. BRO insists that Manipur government provide ‘adequate security’ to its men before sending them to the region. But the state government has not been able to do the same. Left with no other choice, people have to travel by trucks which ply irregularly during dry seasons along the dangerous stretch.

Rice is Rs 17 per kg

With the road virtually closed and most villagers unable to reap even 20 tins of paddy from a field where they usually get 250-300 tins, due to hazard caused by rats, prices of essential commodities have skyrocketed. Rice is now sold at Rs 17-18/kg in some villages here.

“If NH-150 was what it was 10 years back, people would not have to worry so much about the havoc caused by the rats,” Churachandpur based ‘Sawrtui Monthly’ magazine editor Alfred L S Hmar told Sunday Herald.
The hapless people are in dire straits even as the Government of Manipur is yet to allocate Rs 9.9 crores released to it by the Central Government back in October 2006 for combating bamboo flowers and its effects. Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh is yet to take a clear stand on how his government will address the crumbling infrastructure in the sub division. “The Government of Manipur is clueless and is not strong enough to meet the deteriorating conditions in Tipaimukh sub division,” Hmar claimed.

Trade affected

All development works at this significant road have been abandoned since 1987. Negligence on the part of the state and central government has taken its toll among the Hmar tribals. Year after year, people die due to diseases such as cholera, diarrhoea, dysentery, malaria, etc., as doctors and health officials refused to go to their posts in the region citing the poor transport system. However, the socio-economic condition of Hmar tribal farmers have been the most affected. Farmers are not able to market their farm products such as ginger, chillies, oranges, papaya and others.

Manipur government's indifference has affected not only the reconstruction of the road but also the overall development of the region. Tipaimukh sub division has been completely cut-off not only from other parts of the state, but with rest of the country. Voices of dissent are already brewing in among the Hmar tribals – who are considered one of the Mizo tribes. Some radicals in the community have openly talked about amalgamation of the sub division with the neighbouring state of Mizoram which they say is ‘more considerate’ than Manipur.

It is high time for the Government of Manipur to implement development projects at all costs even if it means confrontation with militants, callous state officials and other forces. Expeditious action will remove the dirt of negligence besides easing the common man's travel during this winter and next year's monsoon season when the effects of 'Mautam' is expected to be most critical. There are already reports of food shortage in some villages of the sub division. Immediate and speedy reconstruction of the national highway is the safest investment the Government of Manipur can make at this juncture to save itself from further embarrassments.