Non-productivity and sustainability in Manipur

Asem Ibotombi *

Apropos of "The absence of opposition" by Shri Iboyaima Laithangbam, published in your esteemed daily "Huiyen Lampao" dated July 7, 2010; I read with rapt attention as usual as in his other articles published earlier. The scenario described therein is representative one of the difficult parts in the total system of Manipur. However, since people here are already used to such exposures for many years together the beautiful reasons raised by Shri laithangbam is ostensible in the context of Manipur to a certain extent.

For example, in a state like Kerala, where PDS is functioning the best in the country- there was a total band in July 5, 2010 in protest against the price hike of petroleum products. At the same time, Manipur is enjoying the non-availability of sufficient petroleum products, because it fetches more prices, opening a new area of better business, employment and financial well-being. Petrol sells at Rs 140 per litre, Diesel at Rs 75 available at every "tea stall" and "pandukan". Kitchen gas sells at Rs 1700.00 per cylinder. Manipur manage it silently.

I remember a day of 1964 while, on the way to Thanglon of Churanchanpur District, I was tracking hills and dales for five days all the way to join my service. Those days there was no Jeepable road. The Churanchanpur - Tipaimukh road was in its infant stage of formation cutting, giving at least a couple of hours walking along newly cut plain road here and there. I found a group of BRTF manual lobourers, as they say, cutting and carrying heaps of excavated earths. The labourers were working very slowly and lazily, it appears to me. I reached my place of posting, worked there for about a month. I had to report back to the district head quarters about the farm situation.

That was the 'Progeny Orchard - cum- nursery', a government Agricultural farm of the time. On the way back, after crossing two ranges, I found the same labourer working there. They have completed only the same heap that I saw one month back and were just beginning to harp on a second. I felt a bit disturbed with lazy progress and chided them in the broken Hindi. But I was nullified.

One of them deliverd a filmi dialogue very calmly, "Babu, ye hamaaraa rojiroti hai, suba-shaam/ Ham kahaan jayenge, jindagi isime gujarna hai/ jyadaa kaam, jyadaa thakaan/ Bimaar paregaaa, rojgaari kaategi". I was dumb-founded but enlightened. I appologised, gave a cigarette to him and lighted a match stick. He joyously puffed it. I left them waving goodbye. I still mark the day the as dawn of my 'sociology'. That is sustainability in our system.

I remember again an equivalent experience in 1976 while I was District Agricultural Officer at Chandel. I found, one dusk a Maring oldman selling a lot of a handful of "Hawai maton" (green shoots of Pea plants), 3-4 rhizomes of paan (Colocassia), a small pumpkin, a small 'hand' of banana; that's all. He was sitting aloof in a corner of kakching bazaar. I was curious. I purchased the whole lots at five rupees. He was happy.

I asked him "Do you like to come with me? I will pick you up to pallel station on the way to Chandel." He stood up quickly and signaled me to wait for a few moments. He ran to the next grocery shop and came back running to join with me. On the way I came to know that he purchased mustard oil for only two and Ngari ( fermented fish) a half rupees and the rest he had to keep as daily saving in their tradition 'iron chest'.

Taking that moment as a chance I asked him why he was sitting the whole day with a small quantity, and why not more. He gave a gist of an unique marketing principle of short- supply and more earning. He told me "Saab, people in Kakching market are so intelligent (he means clever). Once I brought a big harvest from pallel, a basketful of "hawai Maton", a bagfull of "paan" and then a bagful of banana.

A crowed surrounded me. They started bargaining like anything and I got only rupees fifteen out of my harvest. Later on I realized that I was the loser. The day onwards I used to sell in small lots and could sell at fixed prices and could have a regular saving of rupees two to three per day. During my short Chandel regime this was the only the best thing I could learn "Less production, more earning and sustained income".

Now let us come to the construction of roads. The whole story as of now is as old as the vedic era. The written form of the epics of Road construction in Manipur may be traced as far back as the infamous "Blocks Lampi" (Block road). In those days of 'exile' I had to walk on foot many times across the hill tops and sometimes along the block road. Those " Lambi" were found old , Unattended to, Overgrown with big trees like Uyung( quarcus sp.) Sahi (quarcus Sp.) or Leihao (Michalea champaka).

Those roads overgrown with trees and grasses were lucky ones for themselves as they could withstand heavy rains (abandoned roads). There was another category of block Lambi. In those roads I found big Nallas, a natural drain, in the middle of the roads formed by rain water erosion over the newly cut soil. This second category of road was better for me since they were at least walkable along either any of the two 'bank' of the big dry riverbed formed in the middle of the roads . There was not a single sign of conventional drainage engineered along the foot hill as a protective device against heavy rush of rain water from the high of the hill slopes.

Tired of this exercise, experience of course, I threw out a suggestion to my Block engineers concerned as to why the roads are constructed without the conventional drainage between the foot hill and the roads. Solemnly he answers, "Why dear! If we constructed road like that we will be starved. Where do we do annual repair? This is one. Another important point, my dear friend, is that we can't go on constructing roads and roads every year". The truth was so harsh to me in those days. But the truth prevails in the long run. The same thing is happening now all along NH-53, NH- 39 and NH150 in Manipur.

The present definition of road- construction keeping the drain collateral to it so far under Manipur condition is now absolutely out dated. Drain construction and Road construction should better be kept separately under two heads of deptt. On the other hand, construction of building is very big element of it own. Giving equal status to each of these 3 compartments PWD should be trifurcated as the Department of Buildings, the Department of Drainages and the Department of Roads, each under one Chief Engineer, each as a Major Department.

Only then, the metamorphosis of PWD/ BRO pucca roads into "seasonal rivers" high up the hill will become a forgotten past by 2020. Dummy culverts can no longer hold its domain. Peeling spree of tarred roads by the rains will no more happen. Hill roads will regain its dignity on par with those Shillong roads, the Nilgiris and Shimlas.

I could follow what very many responsible people would say "Governance is a tough subject. Things may not be that easy. Sri Sainath also wrote like this in the Hindu, Tuesday, July 6, 2010; "Most dishonest of all is the 'there- is -money' line. The country spends Rs 10000 crore on a new airport. There's Rs 4,0000 crore or more for the common wealth games. There's Rs 50,0000 crore in write-offs under just three heads for super rich and the corporate sector in the current union budget.

But funds for hungry are hard to come by. What would it cost to universalize the PDS? Pravin jha And Nilachal Acharya estimate that if rice/ wheat were made available to all Indians at Rs 3 a kilo, it would add Rs 84,399 crore to the food subsidy in coming budgets. That's about one- sixth of the tax write-off for the wealthy in this year's budget".

So, Sir, my humble suggestion is that austerity measure is the best resort in this hour of trouble of ours. By dint of blockades along the National Highways, the state will be saving few million litres of petroleum products by Manipur as a fore- runner among the contributors to the un renewable resource saving of the Nation.

The blockade in Manipur create artificial famine, no doubt, but let us remember it regulates our eating habit ultimately reducing the 'rice' consumption, junk foods, petrol consumption, consumption of all essential commodities at least bringing 'every controller 8 degrees down', which is a big one among all austerity measures.

We are saving energy. Manipur civilization will sustain longer with this energy saving. I have begun with this austerity practice. To compensate the 'low' of energy I use to go to the New Cachar Road (NH-53) on a motor bike, climb up the road at least once a weak a few hundred yards up and stop there. I can see the beautiful Manipur valley with the lush green fields.

I stand there, raise my heels on tip of toes and stretch, my hands up. I breathe in fresh air fully, Manipur air sweet. I enjoy the fullness a few seconds. Breathe out, hands and heels down, relax. How would you feel? I feel full, fresh and strong. This is peace. This is the bliss. This is energy - a perennial energy source of Manipur, not available in big and effluent cities. Opposition or no opposition, this lifestyle settles the score in Manipur. Hope, everything will be alright.