Moreh, November 21: Except for the prefix attached to its name, there is nothing new in New Somtal Village.

Located along the Indo-Myanmar border, New Somtal village seems to have been caught in a time warp with the light of development yet to reach its people although human civilisation is well into the 21st century with unprecedented changes witnessed in all walks of life.

New Somtal village falls within the jurisdiction of Tengnoupal sub-division and is situated at a distance of 100 kms from Tengnoupal.

To reach the village from the side of India, one has to walk a good distance by foot along the road which looks more like bullock-cart tracts.

It is difficult task for the villagers to come to the Indian market to sell their products.

So they prefer to go to the nearby Myanmar markets to look for buyers of their products and procure all the essential goods from there.

This has also resulted in closer affinity with the Myanmar Government than with the Government of Manipur.

There are around 110 households and a population of 780 people in the village.

But these villagers have been denied most of the benefits of the welfare programmes and developmental works being taken up either by the Government of India or the Government of Manipur.

On the contrary with no sign of a Government working for the welfare of the villagers, the villagers are facing untold miseries with lack of development glaring from every nook and corner.

The only existing Primary School in the village is more like an owner-less abandoned property.

The School was given recognition by the Government in 1980 but none of the five regular teachers appointed have ever attended classes although they never failed to collect their monthly salary.

The substitute teachers appointed by them are teaching around 80 students studying in the school.

The school has classes from 1 to V, but there are not more than two/three serviceable rooms with not enough desks and benches to accommodate all the students.

The roof of the school building, floor, walls and ceiling are also in a very bad shape.

Moreover, there is no facility for electricity, family welfare sub centre, community health sub centre, etc in the village.

The only water reservoir constructed by PHED is small that it has been converted into a garbage-bin for dumping the waste materials of the households by the villagers.

Cases of Malaria and TB very common among the villagers.

But in the absence of any doctor, nurses and medicines, the remote villagers falling into the jaws of death even from minor health problems.

The bridge connecting Molcham and Myanmar, the only lifeline of the people marooning in the border area is also in a deplorable condition.

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