The Thoubal Multipurpose Project and Tumukhong Village road

Mamta Lukram *

Improvising connectivity is the foremost ingredient of all development vision. Development projects are encored with connectivity concerns on its onset. 'Rough/difficult terrain' is the technical term referred to places where road construction, railways laying or other affordable means of transport for easy freight and passenger refrains smooth installation. The inherent phenomenal excuses for revised construction cost shooting up to several times from the initial cost, time mismanagement and extending unlimited completion deadline eulogised this terminology. Connectivity wheeled the development projects.

The Thoubal Multipurpose Project or the Mapithel Dam which is known for more than 30 years of delay and cost revised several times; the authority formulated clarifications of handicapped progress based on the existing unstable law and order situations and the people's resistance in particular. The resurgence of people's resistance in implementing the so called 'development projects,' is an indication for the policy framers and implementers, the need for critical introspection.

Portraying people as orthodox conservationist guided by 'anti-development' perspective, for administrative convenience could never enhance the situation. Analysing the grounded reasons behind the people's resistance will serve appropriate steps towards fruitful resolutions. Naming and shaming through fixing in the blame frame would unnecessarily aggravate the pre-existing social disorientation. The dichotomy of people's resistance is an indicator of frustrating remarks.

Inspecting current status on work progress, the present state government have expressed concerns over the completion of the Thoubal Multipurpose Project and the Dolaithabi Barrage at the earliest. Materialising the multiple objectives set by the projects will enhance the economic and social well-being of the people settled around the project was remarked by Union Minister of State for Water Resources. Long rainfall breaks during the middle of the year created great hardships to the farmers this year 2018.

Experiencing 34% deficit in annual rainfall, drought like situation hit the state, whereby the weather forecast's indicated of dry spell for the following few months (The Indian Express, 8th Oct, 2018). The state's 45,601 hectares of farm faced water shortage. Water from the Thoubal/Mapithel Dam was released through the canal to assist the situation as per the report.

The state relied upon the pump sets and generators to draw water for channelling water to advert the situation. It is compressed under circumstantial compulsion for Multipurpose Project completion in response to the monsoon odds and for multiple benefit harvesting.

View of Tumukhong Village from the Spillway of Thoubal Multipurpose Project

Tumukhong Village and Resistance

Out of the many downstream affected villages of the Mapithel Dam, Tumukhong is the immediate downstream village, which inhibits hardly around 600 metres away from the main reservoir. In the post construction of the dam, the Thoubal River's riverbed has shrunk and the village is transformed into a dry barren. Small scale sand mining from the riverbed constituted the economic domain of the village subsisted by farming, fishing, harvesting of local forest resources etc. Loss of livelihood in absence of alternative arrangement is the concern of the villagers. The once flourishing vegetables around the village riverbanks remained a past juncture. Weary appearance becomes the inherent feature of the village.

Welcome to Tumukhong

In the wake of state government's expression of desire for completion of the Mapithel Dam at the earliest, another voice of resistance from the village is ringing aloud again. The dilapidated road situation around the village is the agenda. Authorities' expectation of the dam to uplift people's living standard doesn't decipher the reality standard. Even though Tumukhong may be around 32/3 km from Imphal, the first village from the Dam reservoir, roads and connectivity remains a major challenge. If tourism enhancement accounted as a promised objectives, improvising the road condition would be termed a thoughtful act.

The stretch of deteriorating road conditions starts from Leikoiching to Tumukhong. Driving along the non-metalled road, dust covered the vehicle when it follows another, forsaking visibility. Commuters faced suffocating situation with the air blanketed by thick layer of dust every now and then whenever vehicle passes by. The road is muddy and slippery during rainy days, while dusty and risky during dry season. Scattered sharp edges stones detached from the mud-lining is the risk-factor of the road. Traces of fresh occurred accident with shattered windshield glasses scattered along roadside was found in part from Ngakhasi to Tumukhong. Slope corner cuts with potholed-middle makes accident prone in many spots.

Remains of broken glass, an indication of accident around Ngakhasi village

The public passenger services are becoming more inefficient and unreliable. It took more than 2 and half hours to reach Imphal from Tumukhong, which is around 32/33 km only from Imphal. Frequent technical problems with vehicle part failures are the common complain of the vehicle owners and drivers. Villagers and the drivers cannot expect a regular number of trips to and fro of Imphal. The situation has also compelled to increase the fares circumstantially leading to price hike in the community.

Crisis of time management is felt hard by the students. For school children to reach around Imphal by 9-9.30 am, they have to move out from the village by 7 a.m. skipping meal and for return they depend on any available source, be it trucks, taking lift from someone or any other possible means. It has increased the vulnerability of the school children. Above all the dusty polluted air is likely to create breathing related health concerns.

Way to Tumukhong

At this juncture, the Tumukhong villagers are making up a stand to call a bandh protesting the authority's apathy towards the matter. They are of the view that the road condition worsened due to the heavy traffic of machinery and trucks involved in the dam construction. Tumukhong villagers questioned the benefits of the dam to their lives. Fear psychosis of dam breach traumatises the people, loss of livelihood disorganises the community, heavy vehicles destroy the roads, drop outs increases, generates breathing problems and the community revolves around endless chaos.

Basanta Wanglemba, President, Tumukhong Village Authority shared the community's discontent over information of the dam completion sidelining the hardships unleashed by it through negative impacts. He expressed concern over how the village authority have been patronising the present government with firm faith that it will be welfare oriented. He along with other village authority members has been trying hard to convince the villagers for positive hopes and constructive changes.

At this stance, with overall degrading situation, the community people started developing a strong sense of distrust towards them. Attempts to convince are interpreted as hypocrite and sincerity is questioned on possibility of becoming paid leaders. He sought attention of the elected representative to pay heed to people's voice. People are still looking forward for thoughtful response from the government's part and concerned elected representative in particular.

Kh. Sarojini Devi, President, Sub-Committee, Tumukhong Apunba Nupi Lup asserts apprehension if any expecting lady is caught in emergency labour pain, or any emergency incident took place, what fate would befall. The movement of heavy tariff for years, engaged in dam construction work is the sole responsible factor for deteriorating the road condition. According to her, Tumukhong womenfolk in collectivity are unwilling to appreciate the government's announcement to complete and inaugurate the dam sans considering the prolonged sufferings of the people afflicted by the structure.

The dam as they understand was planned to be inaugurated several times. Even during the recent inaugural plan by Prime Minister's visit March 2018, mention of the road was omitted. No heed is paid on road and lives of the Tumukhong villagers. Under circumstantial compulsion to clear the ears of the deaf authority, the villagers shared that they will impose bandh, the only alternative left for them. She pointed, "We don't bother be it effective or not."

Bandh and Bandh warnings are something mass deserve to obliterate, still it continues to prevail as mechanism to uphold people's voice. The bandh as usual will arrive at a resolution, nevertheless taking into consideration matters before bandh, 'a stitch in time' remains the crux. An old lady sitting a side of the dusty road keenly listening to the interaction intervened in a commanding voice;
Next time I would like to contest election to become the chosen one. If not anyone, I will cast my vote for myself rather than spoiling my precious rights for the irresponsible ones. This particular portion (pointing to the broken dusty road) I will manually mop everyday convincing myself that I didn't cast my vote. Settling at the side of the road, every moment is a struggle to breathe freely, we are suffocating. This dam is like a curse for us.

The self-explaining road conditions