The call that can't be turned down

Yaima Haoba *

Attending nature's call is something which is most coherent in the life of all living beings besides so called highly intelligent human beings.

In our day-to-day life, for advantageous ways of carrying out various duties and activities, appropriate management is more relevant and important at present than those used to be in the past.

I am presenting and sharing here a simple observation of mine which I earned out of a short distance between Head Post Office and Telephone Bhawan, in Babupara area, Imphal.

Here there are the important Central and State Government offices like Chief Minister's Secretariat, Police Head Quarter, Accountant General, Board of Secondary Education, Transport Department, Council of Higher Secondary Schools, DC Head Quarter, SBI Offices etc. on the eastern side of the IB Road and on the western side of the same road there are the Head Post Office, BSNL TQ Office, Directorate of Tribal Affairs and Hills Office, SBI Sectt. Branch, New Secretariat, Imphal Police Station, Old Secretariat, Imphal Telephone Bhawan, 1st Bn Manipur Rifles etc.

It shows the area is very important for the Government as well as the public. During the normal office hours people throng immensely for their own purposes to be pursued in these offices. Of course, a number of security personnel are also posted on duty outside and inside the office premises.

But here comes the question of nature's call. It is a common scene that people, mostly male and security personnel are openly urinating in this area without feeling any uneasiness in two corners along the pavement- one between Imphal Police Station and Old Secretariat; and the other between Old Secretariat and Imphal Telephone Bhawan.

These two points are easily visible urinals seemingly open to all who need to attend the natural calls. Who made them and for whom? Flows are running down the pavement daily wetting smooth tiles making the ways dirty and bad smelly.

This not only does not look nice but affects everybody's mind rather- the passersby, peeing person and persons witnessing dirty condition of the spot etc. etc. In fact it shows the low status of our civilization and laggardly works of the management concerned.

Any kind of planning or project is made according to the need we have to meet.

Here in this context it is vividly transpired that there is the extreme need to have urinals in this particular area which we consider to be kept highly sacred as the premier offices of the Manipur Secretariat, State Government and other Central Government are housed.

High ranking government servants who come and go on state provided luxury vehicles won't see this kind of pitiable dirty scene prevailing just in front of their noses. But the general pedestrians who can do nothing with this situation are helplessly witnessing the scene daily.

A suggestion in the form of a panacea to this kind of injury of the society may be anticipated as treatment or eye opener to those who are responsible to take up the job. Urinal pots may be fixed in these two corners with pipes fitted to drain into the main drainage.

Then at least something, not almost, may be saved and people won't cross urine-wet-portion on the pavement and bad smell would be reduced.

If the government or the authority concerned is not prepared or not in a position to save the gracious look of such an area where top Government offices are located, we may see some other ways- there are social workers generous enough and having sufficient pocket money to willingly provide the requirement of urinal pots. Can they be permitted to do so?