Searching For A Ray Of Hope

Chanchan Yumnam *

Police engaging in a scuffle with women protesters against government's move to acquire land for expansion of a power sub-station at Yurembam on April 05 2010 :: Pix - Hueiyen Lanpao

Does the phrase 'Government for people' really exists or it's just a mere phrase in our place? Democratic, sovereign, socialist are some of the firm foundations on which our constitution is led but how far has these been safeguarded remains questionable.

The vicious cycle of poor, illiterate remains while the rich flourishes. The gap between the rich and the poor is widening despite of the many projects launched by the government to bring down the disparity gap. This in actual is because most of the capital resources of these flagship programs gets improperly utilized on the way through almost each and every step that when it reaches the grass root level it becomes of not much use to the people.

The poor to middle class families when faced with a problem are reluctant to approach the concerned officials. This is because of the common mindset of the people around that nobody will hear their words since they don't have anything to offer them back. Please people let's wake up and at least try to put our problems forward to the ones creating them. May be the person hearing our problem may or may not solve our problems but let us make them aware of the situations and the pains they gave us. People do not have trust in the government these days, isn't it high time for the government to win back the trust of the people, to proof that yes the government still exist for all.

Let me cite an example, there's a place called Yurembam in Imphal West, Manipur, about 5km from Imphal, along NH-37 where Power Grid Corporation of India is located. Few years back paddy fields around the corporation were acquisited by the corporation for its extension. There was a hue and cry unheard by anyone on the matter since the only source of income of the villagers of the place happen to be agriculture and the farmers with no choice had to give away their only treasure i.e. their land with the mere sum of money the corporation provided as compensation. The painful story remains unnoticed till date. Believing development as a necessity to us, the tantrums caused by the corporation to the farmers were light weighted.

The construction work for the extension started and again suffered the villagers with the roaring noise day and night. Heavy vehicles loaded with construction materials running the only road endlessly throughout the days.

The congestions caused, the dust and inconveniences were borne by the villagers with the optimistic mindset that the corporation will repair the road once the construction is over. But days passed into months and till date the corporation didn't seem to pay attention towards it. Now with just a shower of raindrops the road becomes difficult to travel muddy and slippery. Aged people and school going kids are the ones more badly affected by it.

Leaving these aside, now what the corporation has done is highly inhuman. Beyond the corporation are paddy fields which are used by the farmers once in a year and right now agriculture is in full swing. Around June to October is the season where the farmers bears all rain and heat, puts blood and sweat to achieve the best harvest in the season so that his family can sustain for the upcoming year. The joy and happiness when the paddy starts bearing rice is something unique, remarkable beyond words to describe.

And in such a happy atmosphere if you see hundreds of laborers of the construction walking on the fields among the paddy thrashing and smashing the paddy with the huge electric lines you can imagine how the farmer will feel. It's like all the days of his hard work turned into ashes in a day, it is like stabbing the farmer and his family with a sharp knife.

Electric power lines cannot be put overnight, it needs days for preparing the plan itself and to turn the plan into action it takes time if I am not wrong, so was it not in the minds of the so called high class officials of the corporation to at least inform the villagers or at least the farmers whose fields are to be ruined about their plans beforehand so that at least they could have arranged for an alternative. Or in case if the big fellows or the corporation treats the farmers as fellow human beings couldn't they have done there construction before the agriculture season or waited till the harvest of grains which is just a few months from now?

Companies at present days have their own sets of corporate social responsibilities where they shower many benefits for the locality where the company stands. But here in case of Power Grid I could not figure out its CSR and the question lingers in my mind 'do they consider the villagers as equal citizens?' While making the cost-benefit analysis how far would have the corporation gained by underestimating and suppressing the cheerful life of these villagers? Is that gain really more valuable compared to the peaceful and happy life of the villagers?

We are very fond of blaming each other in any misdeed. Let us stop this very habit. Let us see what is it that has been wrongly done and what and how far each one of us can be responsible in rectifying the wronged deeds. Let us utilize our energy and mind on bringing the very little contribution that each one of us can give to bring a better place to live in.

I wanted to wipe away the tears of the villagers specially the farmers who are actually facing the problem but I remain helpless. So I am taking the help of this esteem platform and sharing the situation that I am facing at the moment. I do not mean to criticize anybody by writing this experience but I wanted to share the painful experience that I and my fellow villagers have been undergoing through being a resident of Yurembam.

I wish my word reaches far and wide and to those who can come up and bring a solution to the perils we are suffering.