Tamenglong Today: an introspection
- Part 2 -

Dr. Kamei Sanjit Rongmei *

Thalon Cave, Tamenglong :: December 2009

5. Medical facilities Enhancing medical facilities and accessibility to the people is one top concern, the Govt. should put in mind. The saying, 'Health is wealth' stands true to all people at all time. Enhancing medical services is enhancing humanlife. It is building the health and wealth of the society and nation as well. Many incidences of untimely deaths took place in the district that could have been averted or the lives saved had medical services and facilities readily available within easy reach. In many cases, due to lack of doctors, the sick go to local medicinal practitioners which proved tragedy. The people have no other options than to go to local traditional healers.

In many of the villages there is no PHC or DPHC and Hospitals are distant dream. When local healing practices fail to cure the sick, they desperately look for Hospital or doctors taking the terminal patients to distant doctors and hospitals. Many patients succumb to sickness for lack of ready medical facilities. This is the life of many of the villagers of Tamenglong districteven today. No proper family health counseling and genetics counseling facilities which are lifeline to the community are available.

Life expectancy rates in other part of the state are generally increasing due to availability of various techniques of medical facilities still Tamenglong suffers from lack of basic surviving/ or life saving drugs/ medicines etc. Morbidity rate increases with the growingreport of sicknesses in the district when center announce health for all by 2000.

6. Market system:

Tamenglong records the largest producer of oranges in the state. The fact have attracts the world and is one tourist destination of the state. The district is suitable for all kinds of horticultural crops such as Oranges, Parkia, Papaya, Royal Chilies, Pineapple, Lime, Coconut, Mango, Litchi, many wild fruits etc. which can be grown in large areas and in numbers.

However the yearly bearing oranges could not be exported to timely outside marketsdue to lack of marketing network. The only available market avenue is local sale and irregular outside customers. Every year heavy investment are being made for Orange festival in which oranges are being display and sold which alone is the only best marketing avenue for the orange growers. The Income of oranges sale equals the expenditure of the festival.

Bulk of local fruits and vegetable productions got rotten or spoiled while transporting to regular markets in distant place through roughs roads. Lack of organized marketing facilities in the district has great disadvantage over the people. Some of the forest products that can be mentioned other than oranges are bamboo and its by-products like bamboo shoots, with its local preparations and rattan products like cane and its craft etc.

Many skilled products such as wood craft, Bamboo and cane craft could not find a way out for sale for lack of market network. Different kinds of indigenous technology of crafts making skills and experts in the district are left un-used or not exposed which when encouraged and connected to outside market can flourish and prosper. They needs to be encouraged by providing proper training program and incentives so that the indigenous products associated with the cultural riches can be promoted as well as preserved.

There are varieties of wild and fresh vegetable available which can be processed and produced as indigenous food items. Cold storage, Preservative methods, and sale techniques and networking planning should be made available as essential market infrastructural program of the district.

7. Tourist place:

Tamenglong is a land of scenic site. The land with its natural designed and creation can be one of the prospective places for developing an indigenous tourist destination of the world. The land is naturally designed with beautiful landscapes, waterfalls, purified lakes, varieties of flora and fauna. There are also, culturally and historically associated places, like caves, monoliths, stone pavements made for weary farmers and travelers to rest and refresh. There are scenic rivers like Ahu, Alangand seven waterfalls in series at close range.

The famous Tharon cave is located at about 27 kms from the district HQ. The legendary ZeiladLake at Makoi (Atengba) is associated with a number of pythons, fishes and water birds. There are six other lakes nearby GuiphopZei, NrouZei, Nap-samZei etc. The Buning (N-piulong) meadow is located on the western side of the picturesque Tamei town. A number of well-groomed uneven small mounts, numerous glittering brooks studded the stretch. The district is also called as the land of the Hornbill. Great pied Hornbill (Bucerosbicornishomrai), Indian pied Hornbill (Anthracocerosmalabaricusmalabaricus) species are found. A number of exquisite orchids that are epiphytic, lithophytic and terrestrial in nature were also found in this district.

Tourist development can be a great flourishing business of the people that will not only develop the people but also the land into one of the pride of the state. Great opportunities are left untouched which when developed could answer the needs of the people of the district.

Views that Development program of the state should be on the basis of equal distribution without ethnic based or valley or hill based consideration. Discriminative developmental program of the past which have resulted communal feelings in the state should be stopped if integrating of Manipur land and people is to be the common cause of the people.It is pertinent to recall and mention here a very popular verse from KhongjomParba of the Khongjom history, sung by Ibemni Debithat goes like this,

"Fortified by hills and around
Defended by hill people all around;
The golden land of Manipur
With similitude prevailed over"

It is often talk of integration of hills and valley people among the various ethnic communities but in actually ground reality is that the Govt. is doing the opposite creating many discriminative plan programs that promote ethnic discontentment and grievances. Views that, developmental schemesand Govt. infrastructural programs/project like NIT, High court, University, Industry, Tourist resorts, Historical monument etc should be introduced in equal distribution in the Hills and Valleyalike so that people connectivity and communication can be better exchanged and inter tribal/ethnic relation, understanding and sense of harmony could prevails among us. By doing so people will experience sense of sharing the problems, culture, custom and practicesof each other that will promote integration in this multi-ethnic society and state.

Considering the above factors let us ponder the following reasons which can be stated as the cause of backwardness/ disintegrating elements that must be resolved:

1. That state government failed topayproper attentiontoward developing the hills tribal districts. Policy of sincere and equitable distribution of state wealth and facilities should be formulated and implemented.
2. Politiciansand social leaders less vision oriented interest toward social welfare activities. Indifference and inactive attitude make them incompetency to fight for justice, due share and their rights for the people in the Legislative Assembly.
3. Public and people in the districts are irresponsible, selfish and lack goodwill for the general society. They think that development works are of Govt. public leaders alone and they must do it.
4. Problems relating to Insurgency/UGs, like taxation, extortion, demand share percentage from contact work/construction of public work programs are factors leading to slow or nil development in the Hills districts.
5. The indifference attitude and ignorance of the state Govt. toward the sons of the soil living in Hill Districts of the state was one leading reason for creation of many complex issues of the state.
6. Unless due and adequate care and timely attention is given to the people of the Hill districts, greater ethnic issues may heighten the differences of the tribal people with the other communities
7. Irresponsible and incompetent representatives and leaders of the hills districts in the past are one major cause of the present backward condition of the tribal communities in the hills District.
8. Expecting or waiting a miracle to happen in your favor will not reward you,
You have to work out your own
9. Absence of industrial developmental infrastructure in the district
10. Lack of grass-root and need based planning and programming
11. Concerned ministers and public leaders travelling with their luxury Boleros on the terrible road could not think of development because they are enjoying the luxurious status in the bed of thorns; can anyone think of development when they are in bed of roses?

For so long and many ministerial terms have come and gone representing the hills people. Many insurgencies, and patriotic groups and leaders/social organizationswere formed to bring about change in the society, however, instead of changing for the betterment of the society, degrading to a stage of destruction on the trend.The need of the hour is people participative action for social change in the way we live. We are responsible to solve our problems.

Active thinking on common welfare of the ethnic groups or communities on the basis of humanity and sense of brotherhood can do away all self centered communalism, tribalism or all kind of sectionalism in the state.It appears that, many of the problems of the state are either created or complicated by the state Govt. in the act of delaying right action, justice orby discriminative action against minority by the majority.It is not only the responsible of the ministers/leaders/insurgence/public but responsible of all the citizens.

Our united effort and action will create better hope and change the trouble torn societyof the state. Our continual negligence to act our part toward resolving our social problem will reward us of what we never want to face.

It is observed and concludes that, we should stop blaming game, antagonistic thinking, sectional selfish policy, social classification on the basis of hill and valley people, egoistic thinking, nepotism etc instead promote humanity and people participative action on common understanding of human values and dignity of human person. No power on earth can completely control human problem with war or physical dominance, discrimination but peace, love and respects can.

Let us start cultivating logical reasoning, humane understandingand exercise sense of justice in the society without vested interest. It is considered to be true that, it is the inactivity of good and responsible citizens that destroys the society. If we are not the solution we cannot be any other than the problem or the trouble makers.

Concluded ....

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* Dr. Kamei Sanjit Rongmei wrote this article for e-pao.net
The writer is a (PDF)Post Doctoral Fellow in Manipur University and can be connected through sanjit32001(at)yahoo(dot)co(dot)in
This article was posted on June 12, 2012 .

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