TNL Demands Administrative Solutions for Various Departments in the Hills

Ukhrul, May 14: Tangkhul Naga Long submitted a memorandum to Governor of Manipur requesting immediate administrative solutions to age-old mess besetting different government departments in the hills especially at Ukhrul and Kamjong districts.

The memorandum reads, “with a profound sense of frustration and helplessness, the Tangkhul Naga Long, Ukhrul, most respectfully invite your kind attention to the subject cited above. It is our fervent hope that your kind attention to the chronic ailments that afflict different govt institutions in the hills, Ukhrul and Kamjong districts in particular would yield positive results in terms of immediate redressal and rectifications. Out of the many, given here below, are just a few institutions/departments that testify to colossal misgovernance/mismanagement:

(A) Educational institutions of all categories in the hills are rotting for reason of sheer apathy and corruption. Without the risk of being contradicted, we readily vouch that all the institutions are running at no more than 30% of the sanctioned posts (teaching) right round the year. Unmitigated mystery is, not a penny of the fund allocations as budgeted for (here Education dept) is ever saved & and therefore surrendered. Who then romps home with the 70% saved out of the earmarked funds, on account of non-utilization of sanctioned posts?? Most importantly, educational institutions gloriously flaunted as “Temples of Learning” have in fact become Graveyards of the younger generations.

What would better describe absolute incontrovertible govt’s Apathy than the daily sight of pathetic conditions in all facets of Pettegrew College -the so-called premier college the only government college for Ukhrul and Kamjong districts ? We appeal to your benign Self for conduct of thorough investigations into entire funding (plan and non plan) of the Education department, Ukhrul and Kamjong districts, during the last two years 2022-23 and 2023-24 by a credible competent authority with a view to unearthing deep rooted malaise that afflict educational institutions in the hills and help fix the ailments on top priority.

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(B) Under the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM), the health care delivery system got a huge boost in terms of namesake infrastructure development at the inception stage. In a period of less than two decades since the launching of the Mission, the Mission, far from getting improved upon has only rendered itself a spectacle of complete collapse. Starting from dispensaries to district hospital, what is generally observed and experienced is apathy and dysfunctionality for reasons like acute shortage of essential Staffs (doctors, nurses, technicians), of essential medicines, equipment and implements.

Forget about health care units at the lower formations, even the district hospital located at Ukhrul that stands in for Kamjong district as well, is a picture of monumental failure on all parameters that measure the standards of the highest hospital that caters to the two districts. Patients coming from far-flung inaccessible villages are routinely turned away or at best, referred to imphal on ground of non availability of doctors of required specialties, equipment, facilities, amenities etc etc. The inevitable fate that awaits hundreds of poor, needy and sickly people in the hills is the “graves of the Living” because many of them didn’t have to die or suffer prolonged ailments but for sheer corrupt practices that stymie the entire health care delivery system.

Sir, it is our humble submission that the points of unending grievances briefly stated above may kindly be put to Test Check for the purpose of corroboration. We wish to reaffirm that the grievances mentioned above are not allegations but statements of facts.

If this is the state of affairs we have to live with in district headquarter even after 75 years since independence, the less said the better about the rest at the lower levels Nothing short of immediate shake up coupled with thorough revamp of the entire health care system in the two districts of Ukhrul and Kamjong is the dire need and demand of the time. We humbly plead with your honor to kindly initiate remedial actions on top priority.

Sir, the only viable solution to the chronic Systemic Failure ravaging the Education and the Medical depts would necessarily call for setting up of separate Directorates for the hills (Education and Medical depts).

(C) Highly immoral and disgraceful legacy of the state Government is the “never ceased sight of White Elephants” donning different parts of the two districts in the name of “administration reaching people’s door steps”. Yes, inaugurated with all pomp & fanfare but followed in its trails are all lies and deception! None of the sub divisional blocks so inaugurated as above, are functional even after 20/30 yrs or more of their inauguration. For want of better description, such governance exists sans laws, norms, standards because the governance is completely devoid of the basic sense of humanity.

Sir, we beseech your honor for immediate intervention either to wind them up or make them fully functional in the coming six months. They should no longer remain as symbols of insult and injustice to the people.

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(D) Last but not the least, augmentation of water supply to Ukhrul district headquarter town is of utmost necessity. The existing source tapped 40 years ago when the population was just around 10000 can hardly meet the needs of today’s population which stands at 70000 and above and the same spread out far and wide. At the time such as this when the situation is getting so overwhelmingly desperate beyond description particularly during the period from Dec to Apr, it is such a Relief to be told that a much richer source is being tapped from a perennial stream (Khangkhui Khulen village, 10/12 km from Ukhrul). We understand that the MOU between the concerned authorities has been executed and is now in the advanced stage of govt’s consideration for execution.

It is our fervent hope and submission that the long-felt existential need of the people would be duly met by way of expeditious execution of the project.

It is our utmost desire to have the project engraved as a living memory of your tenureship at the helm of Manipur.

“Sir, we are grateful indeed to your kind Self for the precious time given and the pain taken to hear us out. May the good Lord the Living God bless your benign Self with divine strength and Wisdom to lead the state of Manipur through the darkest period in living memory,” states the memorandum signed by Sword Vashum, President of TNL.