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The recent developments in Manipur have
thrown up some startling weaknesses of the
different mobilizations as well as the press
in the State. Let me first spell out the
weakness of the press. The biggest weakness
which emerges from the recent unfolding of
various issues and crises is that the local
newspapers are absolutely un-dependable and
their various reports can in no case serve
as the basis for critical analysis,
commentary and research. They are marked by
absolute lack of real field level reports.
The real concerns: But what concerns me most
is the nature of mobilizations and
articulations characterizing the State. The
recent Economic Blockade of the ANSAM
establishes certain weaknesses of the
mobilizations so far in the hill areas. The
people of the hill areas have been mobilized
far too long for political reasons. Well, I
do not intend to comment on the contents and
merit of these political-based
mobilizations. But at the same time I must
hasten to add that political mobilizations
per se have little meaning and such
mobilizations for far too long a period can
only have deleterious consequences on the
economy. We know for sure that the hill
economy is an absolutely fragile one; it has
yet to take any firm roots for participation
in modern market economic processes. It is
an economy absolutely unprepared
technologically, scientifically,
academically or otherwise to face the
forthcoming onslaught of globalization
processes consequent upon the opening up to
South East Asia.
It is in such circumstances that the people
are being mobilized for political purposes
only and without any inkling of efforts for
highlighting the real economic issues being
suffered by the general populace. Let me
cite some examples. Phadang is a village in
the Central sub-division of the Ukhrul
District. It is hardly twenty kilometers
from the Ukhrul town. But it would take at
least four hours to reach this village by an
all weather vehicle like the old reliable
Jeep, during which one can reach Imphal from
Ukhrul and come back. We may as well think
of covering the less than thirty kilometers
distance from Chakpikarong to Joupi via
Mombi in the Chandel district. Here too an
all-weather vehicle would take at least six
hours to cover the distance, during which
one can reach Imphal from Chakpikarong and
come back.
We have seen the roads in cities like Paris
being washed with water daily, but in these
places the roads themselves have been washed
away. We may complain of lack of irrigation
facilities in our fields, but we find the
roads in our interior areas fully irrigated
and fit for cultivation. Well we may take a
look at the economics of ganja as well.
Given the area available for agricultural
production and the prevailing productivity
vis-à-vis the various requirements for daily
survival, the potential reward from ganja
cultivation is much higher than the risks
involved in its marketing. The people have
no other means for ensuring livelihood
security than cultivating ganja. But what
would really disturb a discerning citizen is
the absolute lack of place of these issues
in the various articulations of community
based organizations. In other words, when
the entire world is pursuing politics
dictated by economic interests, we seem to
be embroiled in political articulations and
mobilizations for political interests only.
The Valley Response: We must say that the
recent ANSAM blockade has woken both the
State administration and the valley
population. They have been forced to think
of alternative and more dependable routes
for communicating with the outside economy.
In this connection, NH 53 has been fully
emphasized. But what is unfortunate here is
that almost all these articulations are
based on ensuring undisturbed flow of goods
to the valley. When the ANSAM affected the
blockade, it was not just the valley
economy, but the hill economy too was
adversely affected. In fact the long run
impact would be more damaging for the hills
than for the valley.
Well the valley would quite naturally want
undisturbed inflow of goods, but the
arguments for alternative routes are quite
partisan and unhealthily valley-centric; if
the hill organizations are too
community-centric, the administration is too
valley-centric. We fail to appreciate the
fact that the development of alternative
routes is essential for the future of
villages lying along those routes
themselves. In fact this should be a more
overriding compulsion than the flow of goods
to the more advanced valley region.
In the new found enthusiasm for developing
the NH-53 and other alternative routes, we
have failed to assess and assert our right
for an appropriate and timely action to
ensure undisturbed communication. Well the
BRTF is working hard for improving and
maintaining the NH-53, but a move along the
route upto Silchar cannot help one feeling
that they are no different from any other
contractor. They are quite active in the
better-off sections of the road, but
conspicuously absent in the Oinamlong and
Keimai sections of Tamenglong where
immediate and heavy attention is mandatory.
Secondly, we understand that bridges would
definitely require time, but we are not
convinced that monsoon is any hindrance in
making the worse sections of NH 53 improve.
Thirdly, they have taken pretty too long in
constructing bridges on the Silchar-Jiribam
section as well, which makes one feel that
they want to avoid any invasion by traffic
for that may expose the quality of the roads
they have built.
Fourthly, the roads they have built on the
Silchar-Jiribam section lack observance of
safety rules as evident from the nature of
prevailing pavement sides. Jiribam is
represented by a powerful minister, but this
border sub-division gets cut-off
communication-wise from the rest of the
world for days together. Well this serves
the interest of any representative whosoever
for it will block the outflow of information
of underdevelopment to the outside world
which may disturb his/her sleep. Again when
the time comes, he/she can as well charge
that he/she was not informed.
The Upshot: Just as Delhi cannot escape the
responsibility of Manipur’s
underdevelopment, the two sides of Babupara
cannot escape the responsibility of
underdevelopment of the hills. Having said
this, we must also realize that we need to
go beyond our own valley-centric or
community-centric articulations and move
towards Manipur-centric mobilizations. We
have such a strong social capital,
particularly in the hills, which we have so
far not used for positive ends. Only
Manipur-centric articulations founded on
economic principles would make our land and
people developed and sustainable or
otherwise we are jointly doomed. |
