Ever since we started our State Watch column, we have been highlighting not only the indifference of the State Government and its various departments towards maintaining public assets but also the embarrassing lack of civic sense amongst the civil population. From the corridors of JN Hospital which have been turned into a urinal to wrong parking in the congested commercial centres of the capital city to the disgusting habit of spitting betel juice inside Government offices to even the filthy toilets of the State Secretariat, we have been highlighting them all.
We do not exactly know whether the State Watch column has been able to sensitize the public to the need to observe public decorum but we will go on highlighting the utter disrespect shown to our surroundings not only by the Government agencies but also the general population.
Today Imphal has emerged as one of the dirtiest places in the North East region and if remedial steps are not taken up we may well go the way of Kolkata of the 80s which prompted the late Rajiv Gandhi to dub this metropolis as a dying city. The tragedy with Imphal is we are yet to be officially declared a city and we are nowhere near Kolkata in terms of development and other opportunities available but yes we have all the negative points that are generally associated with Indian cities by the international community.
Noise pollution is fast becoming a major hindrance and no one, least of all those behind the wheels of heavy vehicles, are bothered about the nuisance their loud horns cause in the congested part of Imphal. For all practical purposes all the footpaths in the city have been turned into shopping galleries. The problem has become so acute today that pedestrians no longer walk on the footpath but are forced to walk on the road, adding to the congestion, especially in Paona Bazaar and Thangal bazaar.
About the Nambul River which passes through the heart of Imphal, the less said the better. This river which empties itself into the Loktak Lake is a perpetual breeding ground for diseases given the filth and waste material that are dumped into this river everyday. For the khongbans (natural drainage system) that run through every leikais in Imphal the situation is even worse. It is not an uncommon sight to see people dumping their domestic waste material into these khongbans and the adverse effect of such practices is there for everyone to see when the rain comes.
Traffic rules and regulations too present the same dismal picture. To many of the motorists, one way traffic is meant to be violated and no parking zones and single parking system is a norm that has no place here. Over taking from the left and not caring to lower one's head light in congested places after dark has become the norm rather than the exception.
In such a situation it is not surprising to see the number of road mishaps rising by the day. We highlight the utter lack of civic sense amongst the people, because we feel that ultimately the fate of Imphal and its inhabitants will depend on how well we respect our city. It is time everyone realized that the air we breathe, the ground we walk and the city that is there, are our resources, natural or man made and it will not require some herculean effort to respect the place we live in. It is all about character. Do we have it in us?
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