RTI Activist sour with electricity Dept Mischievious Information

By: Rinku Khumukcham

Has the state government department cheating the general public by giving wrong information while answering question asked under the right to information act?  The matter came under suspicion after the state electricity department said that all formalities of agreement or contract between the state government and the NHPC regarding transfer of Loktak project was stated to have been submitted to the later in the year 1971 when Loktak Project was not even to the dream of the state.

Third round of tripartite talk held at Senapati

Central government roles critical in the talk as the representatives throw the ball to the state government court

By:Rinku Khumukcham

The third round of tripartite talk between the center, state government and the Naga civil societies under the initiative of United Naga Council UNC failed to bring out any amicable solution as the later stuck to their demand for an alternative arrangement for all Naga people living in Manipur. While Chief Secretary DS Poonia who is leading the state representative said that they had good dialogue, Chairman of the, Committee for Alternative arrangement of the UNC Sword Vashum termed the result of the talk as not fruitful as the talk failed to arrive at any concrete decision for sorting out the demand of the Naga People. On the other hand central government representation to the tripartite talk appeared critical as they throw the ball to the state government in making any move for ending the present crisis.

Proscenium Dialogue :

A Paradox of Societal Reformation

Rinku Khumukcham

Like any other organs of mass media, proscenium theatre is very much a part of our life. The illustrators in this medium are as tough as those of the newsmakers. Like, the newsmen, who harness all their energies to alert or make aware of the day today happenings around us, these proscenium players forecast the reality of the present contemporary society. However, a slight difference between the two is that, while newsmen condemn the venality of politicians, law enforcers and corrupt administrators in the form of direct reporting or editorial write up; the proscenium players interpret the retrospection of the societal conflict and tension with stylization of the body movement and dialogue. However, this intrapersonal oral medium of communication cannot rally its impact to the society without the help of newsmen due to the limitation of its receivers. The paradox arisen here is that, this society still does not recognize the importance of this medium of mass media - on its roles on reforming the society. The ignorance of the theatre culture as a source of wisdom by the so-called bureaucrats or politicians is the most unfortunate part.

More Newly Constructed Drainage Side-walls plunge

Central team appreciation sours common people as matter of quality control remain unnoticed

Rinku Khumukcham

A day after DoNER Secretary Jayanti Chandra had expressed satisfaction to the progress of the various developmental project being undertaken by the state government, portion of a side wall drainage constructed under JNURM plunged today morning leaning to the opposite direction.

The incident happened near construction side of Capitol project at Chingmeirong. When our reporter reached the spot early today morning labourers were seen busied repairing the piece of plunged structure to cover up from getting notice of the higher authorities as well as the local people and media. The area has been expected to have maintained the highest quality control in the construction works due to the proximity of the Capitol Project where the Chief Ministers as well as other concern ministers frequently visited for inspection.

Speaking to our news reporter the contractor of the said portion explained the situation as negligence of the road construction labourer which has been taking up simultaneously. He said the portion of the drainage side wall was plunged after the roller rode close to the wall without checking the maturity of the constructed portion. But the explanation of the contractor failed to convinced our news reporter as he witness the mixture of concrete to be a third class one. One can easily plug out the cemented concretes with bare hands. 

On the other hand locals of Chingmeirong had questioned about the significant of the drain constructed along both the road sides as the level was comparatively higher from the residential area where hundreds of them have been settling. ISTV camera crew made no doubt to even a minor child that the drainage system will never serve to the residence of the area as the level of the drain was much higher (www.istvimphal.com June 8 English News). The same has been seen, being constructed along the MI road in between Keishampat to Khagempalli area. Even as uninterrupted works are being seen taken up along the proximity area of capitol project no authority seems to care about checking its quality.

The type of incidents which is a true lie about the maintenance of quality control is not the first of its kind, certain such incident had happened earlier. Appearance of cracks at the roof of the newly constructed Kwairamband Keithel Nupi Market complexes, breach of newly constructed retaining wall at Takyel area of Nambul River, collapsed of drainage side wall construction at Kakwa area, collapse of culvert at the right wing canal of Khuga multipurpose project had already been witness by the people of the state in the recent times.

Front page local media reports about the satisfaction of the central team led by DoNER Secretary Jayanti Chandra, Director for Ministry of Finance Vandita Kaul and others to the developmental project being taken up by the state government took most people by surprise. When it become an opened secrete to everyone that no central government sponsored project which are being taken up under NLCPR and Special Plan Assistance (SPA) had never been followed the original guidelines, how could they expressed dissatisfaction, a senior citizen question.

Dr. Thongbam while speaking to this journalist said if the central government team felt that quality is not the matter in taking up the Central government sponsored project then there is something going on between the visiting central team and the state government representatives.

In the feedback column of Sangai Express news a commenter wrote - The so-called high profile team visiting Manipur has no teeth, as there is no member in the team who has the technical and engineering knowledge about the projects being inspected. These bureaucrats only know about kickbacks/commissions and signing in the un-reviewed official documents. Such teams come and go and do not make any difference in the quality of projects being undertaken in Manipur.

SPF Govt. ‘No Mercy’ Eviction Drives Shattered Hopes of Many

Victims Spent Sleepless night Imagining the dark Future

Rinku Khumukcham
 

Evicted families of Lamphel area spent sleepless night protecting their young ones as unfriendly rains and summer heats falls upon them after the state government “no mercy drive” for development had left them homeless. It was disheartening to see the helpless parents watching their young ones collecting books and other materials from the mess up with tears rolling down on their cheek. The eviction drive was conducted within a short span of merely a month without making proper arrangement of the settlers along the site for some of them even over decades. The eviction drive began on June 6 afternoon all of a sudden putting everyone in surprise.

Source said the loyal employees of the Minister Okram Ibobi Singh had began the ‘No Mercy Drive’ after he directed to do so during his recent visit at the site for construction of NIT. Around 20 houses and many shops in Yaipha Leikai Mamang in Lamphel area near the Employment Exchange office were evicted using three bulldozers and four tippers. According to official source, SDO Radhamani Mutum had issued the eviction orders on June 3. On June 5, Lamphel police had reportedly warned the residents to shift from the houses, shops and hotels at the earliest. The official source was however different from those of the statement of the settlers which had been evicted. They said they were not given adequate time for shifting of their house. As bulldozers accompanied by a large number of police force came all of a sudden on Monday morning and started destroying their houses one after another people of the area helplessly streams tears witnessing the scene. Some of them busied trying to collect their belonging while other screams with pains helplessly.

State government Works Minister, PDA Chairman and other officials were also present when the “no mercy government action” was underway. Some villagers said that they had been residing in the area since the last 50 years and that they owned dag chitha – that is, land owner certificate of the areas where they were residing. They also said to their surprise, Lamphel police came on June 5 at around 11 am and pasted an eviction order dated June 3 on a pillar near the Lamphel Employment Exchange Office and began the eviction work Monday morning. They termed the act as biased since the police did not carry out evictions in the adjoining areas. Meanwhile, students of the evicted families stand stunned after seeing their houses destroyed while returning back from school. Some of the children cried with utmost pain and sorrow while the younger ones were received by their parents. The parents had left no choice but to feed their children in the open space where their houses were evicted.

Government “no Mercy eviction drive” perhaps may have been a far sighted dream for the Okram Ibobi led SPF government to develop the state. But it is no right to drive out the helpless and poor without giving them alternative means for survival said a senior citizen. He also said that people knows why these development project have been taking up at one time in a hasty manner without making a way out for public conveniences. He further said the government might be able to fool some people for sometime but not all the time. It may be mention that the eviction drive was conducted in the presence of  Imphal West DC, Lamphel SDO, Works Minister K Ranjit, PDA Chairman Kh Loken, I/W Addl SP Herojit, SDPO Lamphel Balram and OC Ingocha. Out of the 20 houses evicted yesterday around 10 of them possesed dag chitha for their land.