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Tamenglong
(Manipur): Zingkeulak, 55, dreads the rainy season as
that will cut off Tousem, where he lives in the hills of Manipur,
from the rest of this northeastern state and all the dirt tracks
would turn into muddy swamps.
Rains will mean a slippery and difficult climb downhill for
Zingkeulak, a farmer from Tousem subdivision, with his head load
of oranges and bananas to sell in the district headquarters of
Tamenglong, 50 km away. And it will be even more tough to carry
the sack of rice on his back all the way home.
The people of Tousem are hoping the administration will provide
them enough food. They lost all their crop to rodents in November
last year.
"We are hoping to get assistance from the state government. If It
does not come before the rainy season we will likely see hunger
deaths," Zingkeulak who depends on jhum cultivation, said.
"We can last only till before the start of rainy season. It takes
us one entire day to reach Tamenglong. But how will we be able to
carry rice sacks on our back in the rainy season," the farmer told
this visiting IANS correspondent.
Despite being located just 50 km away from Tamenglong, Tousem,
which borders Assam, can be reached only after a harrowing journey
of five hours - crossing a river and a drive on unmotorable
tracks. Though a pretty picture, nestled in the hills of Manipur,
Tousem subdivision is one of the country's most backward
districts, according to government data.
The 27,000 residents, spread across 63 villages of the
subdivision, have only two Primary Health Centres to cater to
them, including one run by a Bangalore-based NGO. "The government
backed out of running one primary health centre," said a local.
Locals say there is only one retired MBBS doctor to run this
centre where till a year ago the watchman doubled up as the medic
since the doctor would come once in a month.
"The government doctor would never come here earlier. Ever since
the Karuna Trust has taken over this health centre, there is one
MBBS doctor. The watchman used to give us medicines, and sometimes
even injections," said Luke another resident of Tousem.
The women prefer delivering babies at home than going to
institutions. According to the chart hung on the wall of the PHC,
in December last year 18 pregnant women delivered at their homes
and there were no institutional deliveries that month.
"No woman wants to go to the PHC as there have been mishaps due to
lack of facilities and untrained staff . Women prefer delivering
at home," Poutingliu, an Accredited Social Health Activist, said.
"In the past five years five pregnant women have died. If any
complication arises during labour, the woman has to be taken to
Tamenglong on bamboo stretchers. It takes one day to reach there
and chances of her survival become less as she has to be ferried
on the shoulders with no ambulance around," Poutingliu told IANS.
Tousem subdivision also lacks a secondary school, despite the
Right to Education Act which enshrines free and compulsory
education for all children between the ages of six and 14 in the
country.
"Most of the state government teachers who teach in primary
schools live in Imphal while a few of them are studying in Delhi
University. Those who come mark their attendance once or twice in
a month," said Iram, a member of non government organisation World
Vision which is helping people here.
The village panchayat has appointed a committee to employ locals
to impart education to the children.
Tousem has quite a few primary schools - till Classes 3 or 5. One
primary school the IANS correspondent visited was in a ramshackle
condition - made of straw matting with no blackboard in one of the
classrooms.
"On paper, there are primary schools but these are nonfunctional
due to the non availability of teachers and the infrastructure is
also in shambles," added Iram.
"Though I belong to this village of Manipur, I teach at a primary
school in Assam. The reason is the demand for donations to get
appointed as a primary teacher, which I cannot afford," Adin, 28,
told IANS.
A total of 2,500 farmers have sought government aid in the form of
food since rodents have destroyed their crop.
"It is also okay even if the government does not send us aid. The
least we expect is roads. Just give us roads," said Iram who hoped
his regions neglect would be addressed by the government at the
centre.
But all is not just melancholy. Villagers see a glimmer of hope in
the young sub divisional officer Armstrong Pame, 28, who is
helping the people. He is also helping construct a 100 km-of road
that would link Manipur with Nagaland and Assam. The locals are
all praise for him.
(Gaurav Sharma can be contacted at gaurav.s@ians.in)
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